Freefall
by songandsilence
Summary: Looking back, he could only remember flashes of the dream, flashes of silvery fur and the deep drone of a ship leaving port." The next adventure ahead of Matt Cruse and Kate de Vries. Matt/Kate
1. Love?

A/N: Everything here (except Luke - he's mine!) belongs to Kenneth Oppel and Harper Collins. I'm not making any profit from this, and it is all done with the utmost respect for the author and these books.

**Chapter I**

Love?

As Matt Cruse walked along the banks of the Seine, he thought he felt entirely too happy. He practically felt on the verge of whistling, but contented himself instead with a smile. The sinking sun was warm on his back, he had just finished classes at the Airship Academy for the day, and he was on his way to Kate's house.

He swerved his way in and between the crowds on the street, by now used to the current of the river that was streets of Paris. It had been nearly eight months since the adventure with the _Hyperion_ and Matt had just begun his last year at the Academy. He had been visiting Kate often, formally and even sneaking in through her window at night. It was thrilling and satisfying after so many years of dancing around each other, to finally admit their feelings and move on from there.

The one problem, Matt thought as he drew closer to Kate's grand house, was that her family had little idea who he was. They knew him from the papers, the stories of his heroic deeds and he had been invited to dinner once after the _Hyperion_ incident, but that was it. They had no clue that he was tarnishing their daughter's reputation. Though that was the wrong term, Matt thought. He wasn't doing this thing with Kate because he wanted to drag her down with him, or just for fun. It meant more to him, _she_ meant more to him, than that.

The sun was below the horizon as Matt walked slowly across the Pont de Bercy. He took his time, knowing it would be a while before Kate would be able to escape Miss Simpkins and go up to her room, where he would be waiting. He smiled at the thought, anticipation making his heart thump a little harder.

Her house was the second one on the left, a little back from the street, and it seemed more elegant and distant each time Matt saw it. It intimidated the hell out of him, to be sure, but now that he knew how to enter it in secret, it wasn't so bad.

He ducked under a trellis that was artfully hiding a door meant for the gardener. The lock was rusted and practically falling off, so Matt just gave it a little nudge and he was in.

The garden stretched back toward the house, open in the middle with trees surrounding it. Matt stayed in the growing shade, tip-toeing toward the right side of the house. Feeling cheeky, he crept over to the stone wall of the house and peered inside. It was the dining room he was looking in to, and he saw Kate –

And her parents. Her parents were there. Matt quickly ducked back down, heart now pounding out of shock instead of anticipation. Her mother and father were _never_ there! They traveled a lot, or mostly stayed in London while Kate studied in Paris. He crouched in the bushes, wondering if he should still go up to see Kate at all, wondering why she hadn't told him that her parents would be coming.

As Matt remained as still as possible and tried to think, he heard the deep rumble of her father's voice. He listened for another second, and Kate laughed. And in that moment, he made up his mind.

Creeping along the side of the house, he quickly found his way to the drainpipe he used as a handhold. Immensely thankful that although he had grown nearly six inches he was still light and nimble, he began to climb. Balancing his feet on the stone walls, he made his way up inch by inch to the second floor. Once he made it far enough he grabbed on to the windowsill and pulled himself up that one last inch. Kate, as usual, had left the window open just a crack, and he pushed it open enough for him to slide in. Grunting, he did a very ungraceful somersault and landed on Kate's plush carpet.

Once in, he lay on the carpet, catching his breath. It was soft and thick under his back, and he enjoyed the feel of it for a long minute as his breathing eased.

He stood and walked over to the mirror beside her vanity table, ruffling his hair a little to try and make it fall in the right place. He studied himself, wondering how adult he seemed. At seventeen he felt more adult, and he had filled out a lot after going out on two more training vessels and being forced to do some hard labor instead of just sitting in a classroom. Matt peered at his reflection, at the way his dark hair flopped over his forehead, the way his serious brown eyes stared back at him.

"Goodnight mother, father," a voice outside the door said, and Matt straightened quickly, brushing the front of his clothes off in inexplicable nervousness. Then, in a sudden panic, he went and hid behind the door, afraid that someone might follow Kate inside her room. The doorknob twisted and Matt went still.

Her shadow appeared first, stretching out across the carpet, and she shut to door behind her without looking back. Matt smiled, as he could see her looking around the darkened room, trying to find him. He stayed hidden though, enjoying being able to look at her without any inhibitions.

Kate de Vries had grown up too in the past eight months. Her hair was longer, shinier, and she had developed curves in lovely places, if anyone asked Matt. He smiled at her back as he watched her.

"Matt?" she whispered anxiously and his grin broadened.

"Right here," he whispered back. She spun, surprised. He stepped towards her and she gave him the full, bright smile that Matt thought of as his own.

She practically jumped on him, arms wrapping around his neck. He chuckled softly, his arms automatically finding their place around her corseted waist.

"I thought you weren't here for a second," Kate said in a breathless, accusatory voice. She lifted her head from where she had buried it in his shoulder and looked up at him, trying to look stern and failing. Instead of answering, Matt chose to lean his head down and press his lips against hers.

Kissing Kate still felt as good as it had on the island, when they'd nearly been killed, or on the _Hyperion_, when they had finally made amends with each other. She responded eagerly, pulling his head down closer to hers, her lips sliding over his with an intense focus that was characteristically Kate.

She pulled back and looked at him, smiling happily, through lidded eyes. Matt took a hand from her waist and ran it over her glossy mahogany hair, feeling a shiver run through him at the want in her dark eyes. He thought he would never tire of that.

"Well, I suppose this makes up for it," she said quietly, her fingers digging into his hair. She stood on her toes and kissed him again, quickly, as if she couldn't keep her lips away from his.

"I don't have anything to make up for," Matt replied, pretending to be offended. But he couldn't stop smiling, and leaned down to kiss her again, slowly. This time when they pulled back, they stayed nose to nose with each other, content to be sharing the same space.

"Mmm, I missed you." Kate smiled up at him as he admitted that, laughing a little.

"It's only been two days, Matt." He ran his hands over her back, trying to feel more of her through all the stiff layers of clothing she wore. It had become his recent goal to try and figure out – or at least imagine – what lay beneath there.

"Two days too long," he replied. He touched his lips to her nose and she wrinkled it. "So your parents are here?" Her smile slipped a little and she stepped out of his embrace.

"Yes. I wasn't expecting it at all." She sat on her plump little couch and he followed her, sitting close. "They all of a sudden decided that they were going to take an interest in my studies, now that it looks like I might be able to get a grant to go back to the island." Though she was agitated about her parents, that familiar excited gleam worked its way into her eyes. "Oh Matt, we might get to go back! I'll wait to take your ship of course," Matt snorted, "but it might actually happen! I'm terribly excited."

Matt watched her in amusement. With her hands gesturing, her eyes alight and her lips red from kissing him, he thought she was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen, airships included.

"If I get a ship, you mean. I'm not even out of the Academy yet."

"Oh, you will." Kate brushed away the comment like it had never been spoken. "I expect you to fly me out there, Matt. There's no way you can escape it." He grinned at her.

"There's no way you'll go without me, then? No other handsome, roguish captains going to appear while I'm studying?" Matt cringed a little at the thought of Hal, even though he hadn't seen the man for some three months now.

Kate snorted. "Not likely." She raised her eyebrows at him. "There are no other ones I see that I like." Matt smiled, a little smug.

"Let's keep it that way, hey?" They leaned in again, and Kate's hand found its way to the back of his neck, pulling his head the last inch so that his mouth met hers.

Soon, as always, they found themselves getting a little carried away. Kate was kissing him a little too eagerly and his hands were wondering a little too low, stroking where they most likely should not. She was practically in his lap, trying to get as close as possible to him. His arms pulled her to him and they pressed in tight.

Matt associated Kate with adventure. Everything about her had an exciting glow to it. She was a wild fire he couldn't quite get his head around, and he couldn't get enough of her.

But he pulled his head back, breathing hard. Kate looked up at him, eyes dark. Matt wanted nothing more than to continue what they had started, but he took a deep breath and steadied himself.

"We can't let that go any further," he said. She nodded and pushed some of her chestnut waves out of her face. Then she reached up and moved some of his hair off his forehead, her hands soft.

"I know." Her voice was quiet and she sighed. "I do want to, though." Even though there was regret in her words, Matt felt something like hope jump inside him. She wanted…him? Even though it had been some time since she had told him that all that mattered was him, that he was all she wanted, he still had trouble believing her. But as he stared down at her flushed face, he believed it.

"Kate – " He leaned down again and her eyes went soft. Right as he was about to kiss her, the door swung open.

"Kate, I – oh!" Kate's mother stood in the door, her hand to her throat. She stared at Matt with wide eyes as he jumped to his feet.

"Mother!" Kate had gone deathly pale and she stood up beside Matt. "What are you doing here?" Matt opened his mouth to say something, anything, but his brain had gone blank. What does one say when one is found alone in a room with a young lady?

"Kate, what is the meaning of this?" Her mother's voice was shrill and slightly hysterical as she looked at him like he was a monster who had just crawled out of the closet. "Who is that?!"

"Ma'am, I'm – " Matt started to say.

"What is going on here?" Kate's father appeared, and Matt thought he might faint. Only in his wildest dreams had he ever imagined meeting Kate's father, and the circumstances had certainly not been these. He had just returned home from an adventure with Kate, one that had finally gotten him enough money to give him some chance with her, and her parents had welcomed him like a returning hero.

Dreams were nothing like reality.

Now Matt was faced with an angry, protective father who probably thought he was leading his impressionable daughter into sin. Matt gulped.

"What are you doing in here with my daughter?" Mr. De Vries stepped forward and looked like he was going to punch Matt, but Kate stepped up.

"Father, Mother, this is Matt Cruse. You know, from the _Aurora_ and the _Sagarmatha_ and all." She was using her calming voice like she was approaching a herd of nervous horses. Which, Matt supposed, she was.

"The _cabin boy_?" Her mother cried, a hand flying to her mouth. "Kate, really? Oh, this is most embarrassing." She turned as if unable to look at them.

"A cabin boy?" Her father was completely red in the face. Still, Matt plastered a (he hoped) confidant smile on his face.

"Mr. De Vries, sir, pleased to meet you." He held out his hand, which the older man ignored.

"Pleased is not what I would call it," Mr. De Vries said with a sneer under his large moustache. "Tell me, _Mr_. Cruse, why are you in my daughter's room, _alone_?" Matt flushed brilliant red and once again could not find the words to say.

"Sir, I – "

"Answer me, boy." He stepped forward again like he was going to hit Matt, who took a step back.

"Father, please! Be reasonable!" Kate raised her hands, trying to calm him. "Matt is a friend and you have no right treating – "

"No right?" Mr. De Vries thundered. "You know better, Kate! Why on _earth_ would you allow him to come in here with no chaperone? Why would you allow him to see you at all?" Kate opened her mouth to argue in return, but he kept going. "He's nobody, Kate, trash. He has no right being near you – "

"Father! He goes to the Airship Academy – "

"I don't care if he owns a ship made of gold; he is _nothing_." Kate's mother gave a pitiful wail in the background and Kate was glaring at her father, ready to attack him, but Matt stepped forward.

"Sir, I love your daughter. I would do anything for her, please know this – " But, instead of making this any better, Matt appeared to make them worse.

Several things happened simultaneously. First, Kate turned to look at him, her eyes wide. Somewhere in the back of his mind Matt was shocked at what he had said, but knew the words were true. Second, her father went very still and very red. Third, her mother fainted.

"Get. Out." Mr. De Vries' eyes were hot coals in his face as he glared at Matt with seemingly unending hatred. "How dare you even be here at all. Get out of my house!" Matt winced at his words.

"Sir – "

"Don't you dare speak to me!" Then he finally reached forward and grabbed Matt by the shoulder. Matt tried to fight back but Mr. De Vries was a much bigger man and was soon hauling him down the stairs and towards the door.

"Matt!" Kate had gone to her mother first but was now racing down the stairs after him. "Father, please, don't!" Her voice sounded ragged. "Father, stop it!"

"Kate, go back to your room. Now." Her father's voice was stony. Final. Matt gave up struggling and let himself be shoved out the front door. He sprawled on the stone steps, wincing as he hit the hard surface. "Stay away from my daughter."

"Matt!" He heard, and then the doors closed.

He sat on the cold steps in the dark, staring up at the unassailable fortress before him, and felt completely, utterly, hopeless.

With a heavy heart, he stood and walked away.


	2. Four Years Later

**Chapter II**

Four Years Later

Matt Cruse awoke from a dream with a startled gasp. He sat up in bed, leaning back on his arms and took a few long, even breaths to slow his beating heart. Looking back, he could only remember flashes of the dream, flashes of silvery fur and the deep drone of a ship leaving port.

He looked out his window and saw it was barely dawn. Sighing, he thought about trying to go back to sleep but knew he would not find it. He stood and went to his tiny desk, still in his bedclothes, and sat there for a moment.

There, above his desk, hung his certificate of graduation from the Airship Academy, about three years ago. He looked at it gloomily, thinking of how little it had gotten him. Next to it hung a small photograph of his mother and sisters, back in Lionsgate City. They were standing stiffly, as if unsure of this whole photography thing. Matt smiled a little and scratched the stubble that had appeared on his chin. Below the photograph hung several newspaper clippings. One was from years ago, when he had "killed" Szpirglas. It had a small story of the adventure – with no mention of the cloud cats, of course – and a tiny picture of the _Aurora_. The next clipping was a small add for the ship he now owned, the _Artemis_.

The third was an engagement announcement that he had clipped out of the latest newsprint. He still wasn't sure why he had cut it out, much less put it on his wall. It had a photograph that showed Miss Kate de Vries, soon to be Mrs. Landon Fitzwalter.

Matt looked at the photo for a long time. Kate was smiling and looking at the tall, blond man next to her, who was smiling at the camera. She looked incredibly good, in a fancy dress, and Matt found himself staring at her quite a bit. The clipping made his stomach feel hollow, like he hadn't felt in years.

It had been about four years since he had last seen her in person – they didn't exactly run in the same circles of society, and Matt had been keeping busy with as many transport run and charter trips he could make. The _Artemis_ was a small, sleek little ship, but had a fairly large cargo bay and some passenger rooms as well. Matt had been astonished at the offering price for her – it had been incredibly low – but, then again, he had fallen in love with her and didn't quite see her faults for as bad as they were. He had spent a little under a year fixing her up, but now she was perfect.

Matt stood and stretched. Dragging his thoughts out of the past, he got ready to go see his ship.

She was gleaming in the early morning light as he approached her, and he smiled. Having his own ship had made him happier than anything he could have imagined. The _Artemis_ was his freedom.

He walked up the gangplank from where she was docked in the aerodrome, waving to a few of the workers he knew. A figure popped out of one of the doors along her sleek side and came over to meet Matt as he came aboard.

"Matt? You're up early." Baz raised an eyebrow. "Couldn't sleep?"

"Nope," replied Matt tersely. "Hate being on the ground." Baz laughed and Matt smiled. It had shocked him when Baz had asked if he could work on Matt's ship, as he was a few years older than Matt and he had a wife and kid back in Australia. But Baz had said there was no better captain to work under, and had moved his entire family to Paris. Matt was eternally grateful that he had. There was no one he trusted more as his First Mate.

"We have got to fix that problem, mate. You know, there are some things in life that make you happy to be landlocked. Like, oh I don't know, a girl?" Matt rolled his eyes and walked past Baz, into the ship.

"I don't need a girl, Baz. I've got my own girl right here." He stroked the walls of the ship as he walked towards the bridge.

He heard Baz sigh loudly behind him. "You can't sleep with you ship, Matt, as much as I'm sure you'd like to. You need a woman, mate, and fast."

Matt turned his head but kept walking. "I don't." He walked onto the bridge and went over to his small desk on the side. "I have work, Baz."

His friend sighed dramatically again and went over to lean against the wall. "Sure, sure. I've got news, anyway. Got word of some people looking to book a trip into the Pacificus."

Matt looked up, brows furrowed. "_Into_ the Pacificus? Not _across_?" Most passengers just wanted through passage to Australia or some other tropical island so they could sit and relax. "What to do they want to do that for?"

"Apparently they are exploring some island or something. In the middle of the ocean." Baz crossed his arms, studying Matt, who had pulled out some papers and studied a map.

"Who would want to do that?" He didn't look up from his reading.

"Kate de Vries."

Matt froze. Slowly, he put down the map in front of him and looked up at his friend, who was regarding him with an expression that was verging on smug. Baz raised his eyebrows.

"Kate…de Vries?"

"Yep. Kate de Vries. Your lady friend."

Matt gave a hollow sounding laugh. "She hasn't been my lady friend for years, if ever. And she…she's chartering a vessel to an island in the middle of the Pacificus?" His mind went speeding into overtime.

"Yes. Near about where we crashed that one time." Baz obviously knew more than he was letting on but was forcing Matt to think it through. Matt looked down again. There was only one reason for Kate to go out there, and that was to research cloud cats again. In the back of his mind he felt hurt that she was not planning on doing it with him, like they had always said. That was ridiculous of course, as they hadn't spoken in four years. He jerked his head up.

"The ship she's chartering – is it the _Artemis_ specifically, or another?"

"No specific ship. She's been inquiring into it rather discretely, though. The word is she doesn't want her fiancé to find out that she's planning on leaving for a month the summer before they get married." Baz shrugged. "I heard it from a guy who does timetables for the aerodrome."

Matt nodded numbly. Kate was going out to the island again. Without him. The thought bothered him more than he would like to admit.

So, he made up his mind.

"Baz," he said, standing. "Make sure we get that charter." As he walked off the bridge, Baz grinned.

"Of course, Matt."

--

The day Kate was scheduled to come and meet the captain, Matt couldn't sleep. He had made sure that Baz hadn't leaked who was captaining the _Artemis_, just that it was a young captain with many trips across the Pacificus under his belt. Secretly, Matt felt rather smug. He knew that she had agreed to fly with his ship, and also that she had no idea that he was captaining it. He couldn't wait to see the look on her face.

And yet his nerves were tied in knots. He'd made the decision without really thinking it through, and now he was going to be stuck with Kate de Vries for possibly over a month, on one tiny airship. In the middle of the ocean. Without having spoken to her in years. And she was about to get married, for god's sake!

Matt sighed and put down the brush he was holding, giving up on his hair. He was dressed for business, in the best suit he owned (which was not terribly impressive). Still, he was making an effort.

It was cloudy as he approached the aerodrome from the tiny apartment he rented between jobs. He was carrying a large backpack that held almost all of his belongings. Anything he might need for the voyage anyway. Having grown up in a situation where he had little, he found it hard to use his money to buy things he didn't find necessary.

The _Artemis_ was gleaming and Matt smiled. He had also made sure that his ship was looking its best and that everything was absolutely perfect.

Butterflies raced around his stomach as he walked up the gangplank. His small crew bustled around the ship, fixing last things. They were not leaving until the following morning, but there were many preparations to be made.

Matt met Baz just inside the ship, and the two went to wait in the (small and simply furnished) Lounge. Matt's hands were sweaty, so he wiped them on his pants and then clasped him behind his back. Baz gave him a knowing look.

"You're still not over her, are you?"

"Shut up," snapped Matt.

"No, really, you aren't. Even after those other girls? What about Nadira?" Matt didn't answer him, and the door swung open.

When Matt saw Kate it was like he could breathe again. She stepped through the door, not immediately looking at him but taking in the ship, looking at her surroundings. She looked more beautiful than he remembered in a dark brown suit, her hair swept away from her face and falling down her back. She observed the ship and then, finally, her gaze fell on him.

The instant her eyes landed on him, she started to smile. Then, fully realizing who he was, her eyes went wide and her mouth dropped open. She stopped in her tracks, making the man behind her run straight into her back. She didn't seem to notice.

"Matt – Mr. Cruse?" Her voice sounded normal, but Matt noticed that she had to grip her hands together to stop them from shaking.

"Miss de Vries," he said, more calmly than he had expected. "Good morning." Inside his head, Matt laughed, feeling an edge of hysteria coming on. How could he see that woman he loved – _had_ loved – for the first time in years and just say 'good morning'?! He wanted to run across the room, pick her up and kiss her.

"Er…good morning," she said stiffly, still staring at him. "You…are you the captain of this ship?"

Proudly, Matt smiled. "Yes. The _Artemis_ is mine."

Kate nodded numbly. "And…" She trailed off, looked at her companion – a thin young man with round glasses and a briefcase – and then back at Matt. She cleared her throat delicately. "I do not believe I will be able to make this voyage after all, Mr. Cruse. I apologize for the inconvenience." Turning sharply, she began to walk away, but Baz stepped forward.

"Excuse me, Miss de Vries, but you signed a contract." Matt, who had been feeling like the floor had been ripped from beneath his feet, looked at him sharply. Baz winked minutely and in a flourish revealed a piece of paper. "You signed a contract which, might I remind you, binds you to take the _Artemis_ as your vessel."

Kate stopped and turned very slowly, a much less polite expression on her face. Matt almost winced as her serious gaze fell on them.

"What do you mean, I am bound to take the _Artemis_? Surely I can take whichever ship I please. Right, Luke?" Her young assistant, or whoever he was, stepped forward and took the contract. He peered at it for a moment and then looked at Kate regretfully.

"You signed it, Kate. You have to take the _Artemis_." Kate whipped her head around and glared at Matt.

"You knew about this, didn't you? You somehow schemed a way to get me on your ship, you sniveling, lying – " She advanced on him and he held up his hands, starting to rise to her challenge.

"I did no such thing, Miss de Vries – "

"Don't you 'Miss de Vries' me, Matt. I know you did this on purpose!" They were standing very close now, and Matt was almost reveling in having her there, the fire in her eyes nearly burning him. And she was calling him by his first name.

"If I'm flying you to the island, _Kate_," he shot back, "then I suggest you stop accusing me of things you know nothing about." Kate flared her nostrils in the exact way he remembered and he had to keep from smiling. An unfailing way to get Kate riled up was to say she knew nothing.

"How dare – "

"Now, Kate," he took her elbow, turning her towards the door and trying not to get too thrilled at the feel of her under his hand, the feel of her next to him. "Why don't I give you a tour of the ship like we planned?"

Kate muttered something angry and a little sulky under her breath but followed him as he walked through the halls.

Showing her the gas cells and the cargo bay, Matt was hurtling back through time to when he had first met her, all those years ago on the _Aurora_. He'd been so young then, and the way she had looked at his ship with such fascination had made him like her. Little did he know the trouble she would get him in to.

And now, walking beside her as a woman, Matt felt just about as hormonal and eager to please as he had then. She was furious, he could tell, but her eyes still took in the insides of the _Artemis_ with as much curiosity as they had before. He felt pride swell in him as he showed her, and her assistant Luke, the ship.

At the end of the tour they ended up on the deck of the ship, the noise of the aerodrome a constant hum around them.

"So, I will see you two bright and early tomorrow?" Matt was positively cheerful now, adrenaline and nerves giving him energy.

Kate glared at him but nodded. "Six-thirty?"

"Six-thirty," he confirmed and he watched her walk away. Grinning, he crossed his arms.

"Baz?"

"Yeah?"

"Thank you."


	3. Going for a Ride

**Chapter III**

Going for a Ride

As the _Artemis_ lifted free of her moorings and was towed to the huge bay doors, Matt was still immensely pleased with himself. He stood in the bridge, giving the barest directions to his small crew.

"You've got the first day's schedule, correct, Mr. Gavin?" he asked his navigator.

"Correct, sir. We'll start out over Germany. I've cleared it with the international checkpoint guards, too. We're free to pass." Matt nodded.

"Good. Mr. Farrow, at the ready to start the engines. Mr. Hull, check hydrium pressure." As he felt the ship come to life beneath his feet, Kate de Vries walked onto the bridge.

"Permission to come onto the bridge," she asked, even as she was already there. Matt glanced at her.

"Do you need something, Miss de Vries?" Today she was wearing a simple white blouse and dark skirt that seemed to emphasize the curves of her body to Matt.

"Kate, Matt. Please call me Kate. I can't stand this formality from you." She crossed her arms, standing at his side. They were silent as the _Artemis_ lifted, humming and creaking a little. Matt smiled as the sky opened up ahead of them and they drifted free from the crowds of Paris. "You have a nice ship, Matt."

He almost didn't hear her, but he glanced at her again and their eyes met for a moment.

"Thank you," he replied, a little surprised and more than a little pleased. "She is a good ship." At this his formal tone lessened, his stiff posture softened. He felt more at ease.

"You've done well for yourself," she continued.

"I…suppose. Just a moment." He diverted his attention to the ship. "Farrow, take her up thirty degrees and head out over Germany." With that, he gestured for Kate to leave the bridge and he followed. They went into the Lounge and Matt shut the door behind him. Kate stood by the large bay window, looking down as they sailed over Paris. He saw her smile and smiled himself. "So…how have you been, Kate?"

She looked up and Matt had a little trouble breathing as their eyes met. Usually he felt the steadiest in the air, but now he felt quite the opposite.

"I've been…well, I suppose." Her eyes drifted to the window again. "After you…I moved to London with my parents and finished university at Oxford. I've moved up in the scientific world. That's part of the reason I'm doing this trip, actually. I need concrete evidence of the cloud cats for a paper I am writing to get a degree."

"And I hear you're getting married." The words were out before Matt had a chance to think them through.

Kate froze. "I am." Her eyes met his again. "I met Landon at university. He's a doctor." Matt felt his stomach sink. A doctor. "The wedding is going to be in London this fall. October second." She looked back out the window, her hands clasped in front of her. "And what about you? Getting married anytime soon?" Her words were nonchalant.

Matt gave a hollow chuckle. "Married? Me? No. I've too much work. I'm practically married to the _Artemis_." At this Kate smiled for real.

"I always imagined you with a ship like her, actually." They both paused as Kate realized what she had said and Matt thought through her words. Silence fell and Matt put his hands in his pockets.

"So…who is this Luke fellow?"

"Oh, my assistant. He's one of the few who actually believes me about the cloud cats, so he's coming with."

"Well, I like him already. The others still don't believe?" Kate shook her head. "That's ridiculous. Those smoky old farts. All they do is sit around all day and talk. They didn't almost get eaten by one." They laughed, and for a moment it felt like the old Matt and Kate were back. Then their smiles fell a little as they looked at each other.

"Matt – "

"We're going to have to come to some sort of a truce if we're to sail across half the world together," Matt broke in. Kate closed her mouth and nodded a little sadly. "So, truce." He held out his hand, smiling neutrally when all he wanted to do was take her in his arms.

She was still for a moment before holding out her hand. "Truce."

They shook, and for a second their hands stilled. Matt felt a magnetic pull towards her that was suddenly broken off by her pulling away.

"I have to get back to Luke. We have a lot of planning to do."

Matt barely had time to nod before she walked out the door.

--

A week later they were flying over Asia and Matt still felt incredibly uncomfortable about having Kate on his ship. He often walked her length at night, and was always aware that Kate was _right there_ through that door. He often avoided her during the day, which was all right because she kept to her room a lot.

Meals were never silent, as Baz told storied about their wild adventures in the past few years, everything from geese vendors in southern Asia to a German couple who ran a fueling station and hadn't let them land for three hours. Matt interjected sometimes, adding in little tidbits that Baz, in the excitement of storytelling, had forgotten.

Kate, as always, was an avid listener, and Matt had trouble not staring at her. Her features had evened over the years, lost some of their girlish roundness and had become more like soft angles. Her hair was still waves of thick chestnut, and she mostly wore it down, which just about killed Matt. He lay awake at night wondering if she still smelled the same – like paper and vanilla – and if she was lying awake thinking of him.

It was another week before they reached the Pacificus, and another three days before they got in the vicinity of the island. They had stopped for a day in Beijing to refuel.

Matt stood, looking out over the expansive of blue before him, and felt odd. The last time they had been here, he had been fifteen and a cabin boy. Now he was almost twenty-two and captain of his own ship. The hum of the _Artemis_ around him was comforting.

At dinner their first night over the ocean, Kate addressed him directly for almost the first time since their truce. They spoke, certainly, but they hardly ever looked each other in the eye and it felt stiff and formal.

She took a sip of her soup, a plain chicken and rice (their cooking was done by whoever was off duty, so it was never terribly impressive. Matt was still working on getting Vlad on his ship.).

"So how far from the island do you think we are?" Her brown eyes darted up and met his, and he put his fork down.

"A day and a half, maybe. I've got an extra person on watch to try and locate it. It's still only on some of the maps, so it's a little difficult to find."

Kate nodded and smiled a little. "I suppose we ought to name it, don't you think?" As she raised her eyebrows at him with a playful little smile, Matt felt his stomach twist.

"I'll leave that to you," he replied, looking down. Finishing his soup, he stood. "Now if you all will excuse me, I'm on watch duty starting at seven." Walking out of their small dining room, he walked through the halls of his ship, listening to her hum around him. He could still tell whenever a ship moved, when it climbed or fell even the slightest amount.

The bridge was empty save for Hull, who was standing behind the wheel. Matt relieved him, taking hold of the smooth wood gently. The ocean spread out before him and the nearly 360 degree windows gave him a beautiful, panoramic view. The sun was low in the sky, maybe an hour from sunset. Matt felt utterly content at the moment, even though the love of his young life was aboard and yet completely out of his reach, even though he was headed off to explore a dangerous island. He was flying, and that was enough for him at the moment.

The sun was just about to dip below the waves when there was a small noise behind him. Turning, he saw Kate stepping onto the bridge, the fading sunlight red on her face. She smiled.

"Permission to come on the bridge?" She asked quietly, a little playfully. He nodded and turned back to face the sea. There were hardly any clouds in the sky – they had had remarkably easy sailing – and so he had little to do on his watch. "I thought I would come and help look out for the island."

Matt nodded. "You're welcome to help look for a while."

They stood in amiable silence for some time, though Matt was hyper-aware of her presence. She seemed content to just stand there and gaze out over the ocean, which was steadily falling into darkness. Matt reached out and switched some controls to slow the _Artemis_ down. They could easily sail past the island without seeing it.

"So," Kate began conversationally. "have you kept up with Hal or Nadira at all?"

Matt instantly froze. In those years without Kate he had been desperately lonely, especially at first. And Nadira had provided companionship, and later more than that, when he had been at his lowest points. He saw in a flash her dark eyes looking down at him, her smooth skin lit by candlelight.

"A little. I've seen Hal around the aerodrome – he's doing quite well for himself."

Kate raised an eyebrow at him. "And Nadira?"

"I've seen her some too." Matt closed his mouth tightly, praying she wouldn't ask any more. Luckily she didn't seem to be more curious on the subject, and dropped it. "Have you? Or – well, I guess you were busy in London." Matt wanted to kick himself for saying something so awkward, but somehow his mouth kept going. "So, tell me about Landon."

Kate shot him a glance and then smiled as she looked straight ahead. "Oh, he's lovely. Very smart, you know. Dedicated. He graduated a year early from university and is working at a hospital in London." Matt was very still as he paid attention to her words and the way she said them. It seemed to him that she sounded a little unconvinced of her words, as if she had practiced them. And he felt a little bubble of hope well up in his chest.

"That's good," he made himself say. "What does he think of this whole cloud cat business?"

Kate was silent for a moment. "He doesn't know, actually. Well, I mean, he knows about the cloud cats and I think he thinks they are…fanciful. He won't outright say they're false, though." She was silent again before continuing. "Actually, he doesn't even know I'm on this trip. He thinks I've gone to Paris to stay with some friends and tie up some loose ends before the wedding."

Though not looking at her, Matt smiled smugly. "I know."

Kate whipped her head around. "You know? How do you know that?"

Matt shrugged, repressing a smile and trying to remain enigmatic. He laughed when Kate hit his arm though.

"Alright, alright! Baz looked around a little. Before you signed on with us. I knew you were looking into ships discretely." Kate was looking at him, but he kept his eyes forward.

"Did you really?" She couldn't help but laugh a little, and Matt felt the air around them warm considerably. "I never took you for a stalker, Matt."

He snorted. "Stalker? Not a chance. I've been avoiding anything to do with you for years." There was a pregnant silence after he said that, and Matt felt his smile fall. He hadn't meant to say that.

"I came to Paris," she said after a while, "looking for a ship. Any ship would do, really, as long as they were sort of secretive. But…really, I was almost hoping that by this time you would have a ship, and that the ship I took would be yours." He turned to look at her and the corners of her mouth turned upwards for a moment. "I tried to keep tabs on you, sometimes. Whenever there was a news press about airships or anything to do with them, I'd pick it up and try to find you. But you flew rather under the radar." When she trailed off. Again, Matt felt as though something was drawing them closer, but a voice suddenly called through the tube system.

"Captain! Twenty degrees off the port side, looks like the island!" Baz sounded excited for the crowsnest, and Matt jerked his gaze from Kate to look out the window. Sure enough, there it was, just off the port bow. Kate rushed forward and leaned close to the window, trying to get a good look at it through the darkness.

It rose out of the dark blue ocean, very hard to see, but there it was. Matt slowed the _Artemis_ drastically and started to bring her down, aiming for the small dark hump of land.

A/N: I've said this to a few people who reviewed the last chapter, but I just wanted everyone to know. First off, THANK YOU so much for all the support I've been getting for this fic!! I'm ecstatic that it's going over well, it means a lot to me.

Second, I'm just finishing up my first year at college and I am incredibly busy. I'm not sure how often I'll be able to update in the next month or two, so even though I have a couple more chapters written, I'm trying to spread them out so there's no massive lag in my updates. But there's more coming soon, I promise!!

Next time: Kate gets excited and Matt gets cranky.


	4. The Island

**Chapter IV**

The Island

They waited till morning to leave the ship, having done a rather risky night landing on the very same beach that they had crashed on all those years ago. It was one of the best landing spots on the island, if Matt recalled correctly, and with the use of several bright floodlights the landing had actually gone quite well. His small crew was very tight knit and they worked well together.

Even though it was only early June, the sun was hot as it shone down on them. Matt walked out over the sand, having left his heavy captain's jacket on the ship. Still, in his shirt and trousers he was starting to sweat. Kate had chosen to wear riding trousers and a white blouse, which were cooler but they were driving Matt crazy.

He watched her out of the corner of his eye as she walked down the beach, lifting her hand to shade her eyes. Those damn pants showed every inch of her legs, showed _between_ her legs. Matt had seem women in pants before, had seen Kate in pants before on the _Sagarmatha_, but somehow this was different.

Cursing in his head, Matt tore his eyes away from her and set out across the beach. Within a few minutes he had found the stream of fresh water that Kate had led them to before, and ordered some of his crew to start fetching some. They still had some of the fresh water they had brought with them, but in this heat they could never have too little.

The _Artemis_ bobbed over the sand, her belly a good ten feet from the ground. She looked especially silver in the intense light and Matt frowned. He couldn't help but think of the last ship they had had here, and how her broken form had looked on the sand. He would do anything to keep that from being the _Artemis_.

Kate walked up to him and put her hands on her hips. Matt groaned mentally. This was going to be a long few weeks.

"So, what do you think? I quite prefer the situation of our arrival her this time around." She grinned, but somehow Matt couldn't catch on to her enthusiasm. He looked at the trees.

"The cloud cats are out there somewhere," he said hesitantly.

"I know," Kate agreed, her voice full of wonder. "When do you think we can set out and try to find them?"

"Tomorrow, maybe," he said. "I'd like to give the crew some time to settle the _Artemis_ down and find a routine and all."

Kate sighed. "Alright. You've taken me this far, I suppose I can wait another day." She began to walk back to the ship. When he didn't follow she looked over her shoulder. "Well? Are you coming?"

Again, Matt mentally groaned. A very long few weeks, indeed.

--

Early the next morning they left the ship, heading out with two days supplies (just in case) into the jungle. Kate and Matt were in the lead, Matt hacking out a path with a machete. They were the only ones who remembered where the cats were, thought nearly six years had passed. Baz took up the rear, keeping track of their course, as he was the only other one who even remotely knew the island.

Kate looked around her with a scientific gaze, thought she couldn't keep her excitement completely in check. Every once in a while Matt would look over and see her grinning, holding her camera close to her body but hardly using it, too enthralled with looking around the jungle. He smiled to himself.

When they found the tree, he couldn't help but feel the bottom of his stomach fall out. He could still see Bruce's pained face and mangled foot…but Kate was pushing on through the clearing, determination obvious in every step. He hurried to keep up.

They stood together at the bottom and looked up.

"We saw the little one fly up and join the rest, remember? It probably isn't here," Matt said cautiously.

Kate smiled brightly at him. "Optimism, Matt." And with that, she put down her camera and bag and walked up to the tree. Watching her, Matt was only slightly surprised to see her reach up and start to climb the tree. With a weary sigh, Matt went to her and placed his hands on her waist, pushing her up.

Then he froze. The feel of her weight in his hands, her body so close to his was…almost too much. He froze in order to try and breathe again. Kate moved a little.

"Matt? You can let go, I've got hold of a branch."

He let go like she was on fire. "Right." Somewhere behind him he heard Baz snort. Kate swung up onto one of the large, wide branches and hauled herself into a crouching position. Matt tried not to watch her legs move in those damn pants. She scrambled up some more and came to the widest, flattest branch that had housed the cloud cat.

"See anything?" Matt said after a while, nerves suddenly clutching him. He shouldn't have let her go up there alone. The amount of trouble that woman was capable of getting in –

"She's been here!" Yelled Kate excitedly. Poking her head out between the vines and looking down, she was beaming. "Coming to familiar ground, I expect. There's evidence that she's been here recently."

Luke spoke up nervously from behind Matt, clearing his throat. "Then…shouldn't you…_not_ be there?"

"I agree," said Matt said quickly. "Come down, Kate."

"Hold on," she said, and disappeared again.

After ten minutes, Matt straightened from where he was leaning on a tree. "Kate, I'm coming up and getting you if you don't come down right now." No response. "Kate?" Still no response. "Dammit. I'm going up." He handed his bag to Baz and rolled up his sleeves.

Scaling the tree easily, he pushed aside the vines and saw Kate perching over a pile of dung, poking it interestedly.

"What on earth are you doing?" He asked, half frustrated and half amused. Kate jumped and whirled to look at him.

"Good God, Matt, you scared me!" He raised an eyebrow.

"I yelled up about three times. You didn't answer, so I climbed up to make sure you hadn't been eaten."

She gave him a slightly withering look. "I was just observing her manure to try and determine her diet."

Matt crouched down to be at her eye level. "I thought we knew they ate fish?"

"I'm just making sure, Matt." Her tone implied that he was an idiot. "Diets can change if circumstances change. The fact that she now eats fish confirms that she is flying with the flock, as opposed to staying here and eating fruit and mammals."

"Right." There was a pause. "Ready to go?" Kate sighed.

"I suppose. There's not much – "

Suddenly, a flash of silver erupted out of the branches to the side. Kate screamed as the cloud cat burst into its den. Its wings spread wide as it landed, knocking both of them back…and off the branch.

Matt fell, an odd weightlessness overtaking him. He wasn't afraid, although it was a mystery to him how he missed the other branches. His vision blurred and he lost sight of Kate. After what felt like an eternity, he hit the ground.

That was when feeling kicked back in. He landed on his back, his breath getting knocked out of him and his head hitting the dirt hard. He gasped and sputtered like a dying fish while Baz and Luke rushed to him, helping him into a sitting position. When he could finally breath again, he was nearly overwhelmed by utter, relentless soreness in his entire body. Groaning, he doubled over slowly. Then he remembered Kate and looked up, ignoring the pain.

"Kate!" Luke yelled, and Matt saw her clinging to a branch not far down from where the cloud cat was perched. It looked down at her, tail swishing in the way cats tails do when they are about to pounce. Matt felt dread curl in his stomach.

"Kate!" He yelled and scrambled to his feet. She slipped to the next branch down, always keeping her eyes on the cat. Matt climbed stiffly to the first branch, his body screaming at him. He pushed on, hauling himself up as Kate slowly lowered herself down. The cat didn't move, but watched them with unnervingly intelligent yellow eyes. It appeared more interested in getting them out of its nest than eating them.

"Here," Matt whispered, finally reaching up and touching her ankle. He heard her release a breath and she dropped down beside him, Her breathing was ragged and she was shaking, but she gripped his hand strongly. "Go on," he urged, and she slipped past him, down another branch. Matt went after her, slowly, his muscles not allowing for much movement. He kept his eyes on the cat, who watched him just as closely.

When they got to the ground, Matt looked back up, only to see an empty branch and green leaves. The cloud cat was gone. A small shiver went through him, but he turned to Kate and put a hand on her back. Baz and Luke were around where she sat, asking her things, patting her shoulder. But Kate ignored them and looked up at Matt.

There was something direct and terrifying in her eyes. She was serious, as if contemplating the incident that had just occurred, and passionate. For a moment, Kate was the only other person on the planet that existed.

Then she looked down and away, and Matt's pain returned.

--

Back on the _Artemis_, Matt was stretched out on one of the lounge sofas, his aching body enjoying not moving. His eyes were closed and he had a cloth full of ice on the back of his head. Rest had never felt so good.

Baz sat at the table, reading something, his hair ridiculously on end from him running his fingers through it.

"I'm surprised you're not dead, mate. Truly lighter than air, I guess. How are you feeling?" He asked Matt suddenly, lifting his head and looking at his friend, who moaned. Baz chuckled and raised his eyebrows. "That good?"

"Mmph," replied Matt. "Don't wanna move. Ever."

"That might be difficult, mate. Especially if you're planning on romancing that Miss de Vries." Matt sputtered.

"What? Where did that come from? We're not…she – she's getting married, Baz. Come on now. Even you can't find a way out of that one." Matt put an arm over his eyes.

"That seems to imply that there's something going on, Matt," Baz continued. Matt didn't respond. "Matt? Matt. Come on. You can't admit there isn't a spark there. Just a tiny little spark?"

Matt lifted his arm and glared at Baz.

"There's nothing, Baz. Lay off."

--

"Good morning!" Kate said cheerily, sitting down at the table with a bright grin on her face. She poured herself some tea. "How are you feeling, Matt? That was quite the fall you took."

Matt grunted a reply, much sorer today than he had been yesterday. He chewed on some toast, leaning back in his chair and trying not to move too much. Kate looked at him curiously.

"Are you alright?"

"Just sore."

"Ah." She went back to buttering her toast. Baz drank his coffee and gave Matt a significant raising of the brows. Matt rolled his eyes. "You know, I've a terrific herbal remedy for sore muscles," Kate continued, not having noticed. "All those hours slouched over reading things, you know." She chuckled, and Matt looked at her curiously. Why was she being so forcefully cheerful?

"I'm alright. But thank you," he said, There was a long pause in breakfast conversation save the clinking of dishes and Luke shifting nervously in his chair. He seemed to have picked up on the strangeness of Kate's actions. The woman was eating her toast with quite a lot of vigor, seemingly unaware of their stares.

"So what are we doing today?" She asked suddenly, looking up, and all the men quickly averted their gazes.

"Today? Well, I suppose we could push farther inland," Matt mused, taking a gulp of coffee.

"That would be lovely. I'd like to collect samples on the flora and fauna of the island too. I didn't get to do a lot of that last time around, what with being locked in my room and all."

"And getting me in loads of trouble," Matt added and Baz snorted. She blushed a little.

"Well…yes. Um, sorry about that." Matt chuckled and waved it aside.

"Only joking. It's all in the past." Kate broke into a smile, her face lighting up. Matt couldn't help but stare at her brilliant brown eyes, her chestnut waves falling over one shoulder. Their eyes couldn't seem to tear apart, and Kate's smile slipped.

He looked away, his humor lost.

"Let's leave in half an hour, alright?" He put down his knife.

"Sure."

"Sounds good."

Kate didn't say anything, and when he looked over at her she was staring at her plate, brows furrowed. Before she could see him looking, he walked out the door.

--

Next chapter: Kate is simultaneously perceptive and blind, Baz finds something weird, and the crew realizes they've got problems other than cloud cats and potentially furious fiancés…


	5. Swordplay

Chapter V

**Chapter V**

Swordplay

Kate de Vries was, for once in her life, at a complete loss for words. She honestly had nothing she could think of to say, and it was all because of Matt.

She sighed as she packed her day bag, tucking in it her notebook, a few pencils, a small telescope and a tiny book on tropical flora and fauna. She paused after doing so, staring out the little porthole her room had. The bright sunshine washed over her face, heating her even inside the ship. Bright turquoise water sparkled below them, stretching out towards the horizon.

Her mind rocketed back through time, as it seemed to have been doing quite often lately. She saw the _Aurora_ beached on the sand, saw pirates running out of the jungle, saw Matt's distressed face in the dark of the little cave. Felt his lips on hers.

Something slammed to the ground and Kate started out o her reverie. Looking down, she saw that she had thrown the book she was holding to the ground. Slowly, she bent to pick it up, wondering once again why Matt always got such a strong reaction out of her.

Immediately, she scolded herself. Why was she thinking about Matt when she really should be thinking about Landon? Her thoughts flickered to her handsome fiancé who was in London at the moment, probably wondering why he hadn't heard from her yet. She swallowed and looked down at her hands guiltily.

_Nevermind that_, she thought and lifted her head again, chin up. _It's all in the name of science. He should understand that. And he'll have to, if we're getting married. _Since _we're getting married. Not 'if'_, she corrected herself quickly. Where had that come from?

There was a knock at the door and Kate jumped.

"Kate? You all ready?" Luke's voice was muffled through the door, but she smiled. He had been one of the very few other young scientists at the Sorbonne, and one of the two people that truly believed in the cloud cats. Luke, and a certain stubborn cabin b – captain.

"Yes, I'm coming." Kate brushed off her riding pants and told herself she was in no way wearing them because she had seen Matt stare at her legs yesterday. They were more comfortable and more useful than a dress.

Once she met up with the others, Matt, Baz and Luke, they outlined a plan. Today they were going to take it a little easier, looking mainly at general island life while Matt recovered a little more.

"You could stay behind and rest, Matt," Kate suggested lightly.

"I'm fine," he shot back, and glanced at her angrily. Kate looked away.

--

The heat of the jungle was like a cloth being pressed over her face. Kate swallowed and took a deep breath, feeling the moisture all the way down her throat. Somehow it hadn't seemed this hot when they had crashed here before.

Matt was walking ahead of her, the back of his shirt dark with sweat. Strangely enough, she found herself staring at it. It was sticking to his back, and she could see the muscles move under it.

Luke tripped over a branch and bumped into her, jerking her back to reality. She told herself it was the heat that made her cheeks so suddenly warm.

"Sorry," Luke mumbled. He took his glasses off and wiped away the precipitation on them. She smiled.

"It's alright. How are you doing?" He glanced at her with a mixture of embarrassment and excitement and her smile broadened. She was quite fond of her assistant, even though he was shy and a little bumbling. His intelligence and earnestness and belief were unmatched.

"Fine, I guess. I've never been anywhere this hot." She put a reassuring hand on his arm.

"I don't think anyone could actually get used to this." Baz paused beside them, offering a canteen of water. Kate looked him over for a moment, remembering the young man who had been a mass of unused energy. Now, though he was still incredibly playful, there was something much more controlled, assured, about him. Kate supposed getting married could do that.

The hair on the back of her neck stood up. If marriage calmed _Baz_, what would it do to her? With Baz the change was positive, but what if marriage put her in chains? As intelligent and independent as she was, Kate new that by getting married she was putting her life in the hands of another person. A man. Someone who could possibly take everything she had done away from her.

Matt walked back to join them. "Kate? Water?" He offered her the canteen, and their sweaty fingers brushed. Kate made herself think about Landon's bright blue eyes instead of Matt's calloused hands. "I think we should head uphill, towards that rise up there." He pointed. "It'll be a good vantage point and we can still see the ship from there." He looked in the direction Kate assumed that the ship must be in, and she remembered his almost perfect sense of direction.

"Sounds good," Baz replied cheerfully, putting the canteen back in his pack. "Shall we?"

Some half an hour later, Luke stubbed his toe. Cursing and stumbling a little, he was too busy being in pain to look at what had hurt him. Baz crouched down and picked up the very rusted hilt of a sword. The four of them looked at it curiously.

"How did a sword get here?" Kate asked, reaching out to touch it.

"How long do you think it's been here?" Baz tilted it to the side, brows furrowed.

Matt stared at it a little before losing interest. "Probably from when the pirates were still here. Before we came her last time." He turned and walked ahead, bringing out his machete. "We're close to the ridge." Kate and Luke followed. Baz took a last look at the hilt before tossing it back to the jungle floor.

--

Peering through the underbrush, Kate saw an open space ahead. Glancing over at where the others were drinking water, she walked quickly into the sunlight.

It was a small clearing at the top of a cliff, the ground dropping some hundred feet and then gradually declining towards the ocean. She walked out further.

Kate stared out over the island, the sun bright in her eyes. She could see the ship from up here, Matt's beautiful _Artemis_. It was tiny from up on the mountain, a small, dark oval hovering above the shoreline.

The wind buffeted her hair around, sweeping it across her face and around her neck. She didn't mind, though. It felt good to breathe in the warm air, to feel the heat of the sun on her shoulders through her light shirt, to stand at the edge of a great height.

"What are you doing?"

She turned quickly, and saw Matt standing back by the trees. He was looking at her quizzically, a hand held over his dark eyes to shield his view from the sun. His other hand was stuck in his pocket, his stance casual.

A funny feeling stirred in the bottom of her stomach when she saw him. For a moment she didn't say anything, and they just stared at each other. The distance between them was only about ten feet, but it might as well have been the Pacificus. They couldn't move any closer together.

"Just looking," she replied slowly, smiling a little. Matt lowered his hand and they kept on looking at each other, making contact like they hadn't allowed themselves since they had met again. Kate found herself rather alarmingly drawn to him, this grown-up version of the dark-haired little boy she had met in the cargo bay. His face was so honest, so open, that in that moment Kate could have kissed him and never stopped.

She jerked her head away. That thought had _not_ just crossed her mind. Her eyes dropped to the ground and she suddenly found her shoes unbelievably interesting.

"We should get going."

Looking up, she saw his back as he walked into the shade of the trees.

The wind was strong at the very top of the ridge. The trees thinned a little and the mountain rose up behind them. Surprisingly far below was the smallish oval that was the airship on the beach.

Kate pushed her hair off her forehead, panting a little. Thank God she had worn pants; doing this hike in a skirt would have been beyond unbearable. The others spread out around her, gazing at the beauty of the lush green mountainside and the sun over the jeweled water. She turned around to get a 360 degree view, slowly.

Something made her pause. She walked closer to the side farthest from the shoreline, on the other side of the ridge from where they had walked up. Squinting against the sun, she looked down into the valley. There was the big field that she and Matt had run across, and there were the remnants of the village…

Except they weren't remnants. Even from that distance, Kate could see smoke rising from three of the huts, and little black shapes moving around. A small, seemingly shabby, ornithopter rose from the field, its wings flapping shakily. She opened her mouth to speak, but couldn't say anything for a moment.

"Matt…" she trailed off, but he was quickly at her side.

"Yes? What – " He had seen it. She felt him stiffen beside her. "Baz. Luke." Standing beside each other, they looked down at what appeared to be a functioning, if not _thriving_, village.

"Bloody hell," Baz said breathlessly and neither Kate nor Luke admonished him for his language. "How are they still here?"

"Are those pirates?" Luke asked, pushing his blond hair back to see better. He sounded half nervous and half excited.

"Shouldn't the pirates all be gone?" asked Kate. "Didn't the Sky Guard come here and clean them out?"

"We don't know if those are pirates," said Matt. "Kate, do you have that telescope?" She got it out and handed it to him. He trained it on the village and studied it for a while. "Well…it looks like most of the people are just natives." They breathed a collective sigh of relief. "But…" Matt lowered the telescope. "Something's not right. There are too many things made of metal down there – cooking pots and door knobs."

"Couldn't it just be left over from when the pirates were last here?" Kate said thoughtfully, crossing her arms and looking at Matt. He was frowning and tense, but it felt incredibly good to solve things with him again. They worked well together.

"It's possible, but they look quite polished and new." He bit his lip, and Kate's eyes unconsciously stared. "Also, the ornithoptor is weird. It looks old enough to _maybe_ have been left by the pirates, but the men flying it didn't look like natives. And the landing field is too well-kept; it looks like it's being used."

There was a silent gap in which the wind whistled around their ears.

"Do you…think there are still pirates here?" Baz asked.

Kate glanced at Matt again, taking in the side of his face. He was in deep concentration, his jaw clenched and his brows furrowed. The sun made his dark brown hair a shade or two lighter and his pale skin glow. She swallowed.

"I don't know," he said slowly. "And I would really rather not find out."

--

Next time: Kate is angry, Matt is torn and someone is a little worse for wear...


	6. Blood Ties

Author's Note: Sorry for the delay; my grandfather just died recently, so things have been a little shaky lately. And I've been beyond busy. But anyway, here it is.

**Chapter VI**

Blood Ties

"Matt – "

"No, Kate."

"Matt, listen to – "

"_No_, Kate," Matt said, his voice angry and final. "I wasn't sure how long we were going to be able to stay in the first place, but with pirates on the same island as us…how long do you think it will be before they find out we're here?" Kate grit her teeth and faced him across the small lounge area onboard the _Artemis_, clenching her fists. Matt was standing in the center of the room, arms folded across his chest.

"We can't just _leave_," she nearly shouted, her cheeks flushed with anger. "I need more time. I need more evidence!"

"It's just a paper, Kate," Matt barely refrained from rolling his eyes, feeling suddenly very young.

"Just a…" Kate sputtered, eyes widening furiously. Her mouth snapped shut and her nostrils flared. He braced himself for the storm he had known was coming the moment he had uttered that flippant comment. "_Just_ a _paper_, Matt?" She advanced on him. "This is the paper that is going to prove, finally, that what we're seeing on this island isn't fantasy, isn't a silly dream or a heat-induced hallucination. These creatures are real and I want the world to know it."

"And why is that so important?" He shot back, feeling unnaturally volatile.

"It's important to _me_, Matt! How hard is that to understand at all?" She was truly yelling now, her passion fierce in the eyes he was now looking down into. It wasn't hard at all, really, to feel the ardor radiating off of her, and for a moment Matt wavered. She was so invested in this, and it _was_ so important to her. And yet here he was, fighting her. Matt could think of nothing he wanted to do at that moment more then sweeping her up, kissing her soundly, and then taking her back into the jungle to hunt cloud cats.

But responsibility prickled at the back of his neck, and he thought of his crew, the supplies they had left, and the ship that was humming gently around him. He clenched his jaw.

"I will not see my ship in the ground, Kate." His voice was low and dark. Their eyes met for a long moment, trying to will each other into submission. When it didn't work, they seemed to break eye contact at the same moment, both turning away angrily.

Kate stared angrily at the wall and Matt watched her out of the corner of his eye. Her cheeks were flushed brightly and she was breathing deeply, as if to calm herself. Her waves of mahogany hair were tangled down her back and dirt smudged her forehead from the hike. He couldn't help but stare a little, a strange feeling twisting his stomach.

"One more day, Matt." She turned to face him, much calmer. There was a sad, almost pleading, look in her eyes. "Give me one more day. Please."

In that moment, Matt felt like he would give her anything in his power. He took a deep breath to steady the wave of emotion in him. Then he nodded, stiffly.

"One more day." Her face broke into a grateful smile and he almost smiled back.

"Thank you, Matt." Her voice was thick with gratitude. He wanted to touch her then, but he nodded briskly instead.

"We'll leave at dawn."

--

"I have to get a picture of it," Kate said firmly.

"Can't you just sketch some more? Or something?" Matt knew he was coming very close to whining, but the heat was getting to him – even though it was mid-morning. They had been walking for hours, studying bones below the tree. Neither of them were very keen on climbing up there again, but the forest floor had been deemed safe enough.

She rolled her eyes from where she was crouched next to the remains of a fish. "Well, seeing as that apparently wasn't enough the first time around, I doubt any scientific society will be satisfied with yet more sketches or stories." She stood, wiping her sweaty palms on her pants. "I _need_ a picture, Matt."

He didn't say anything, and she tilted her head up to look at the tree. "I think I have to go up there again."

Something hot swept through Matt. He couldn't think of anything he wanted less than for her to go up there. If she was hurt… "No. No way, Kate. You are not going up there."

She frowned at him, nostrils flaring a little in annoyance. "And why not, Captain? I'll be perfectly fine."

Making a noise of pure aggravation in his throat, Matt barely refrained from pulling out his hair. "Last time you went up there you almost got _killed_, Kate. Or did you forget?"

"I didn't forget," she snapped. "I'm just sure it won't happen again."

"Sure? Right. Okay. Well that's certainly reason enough. Go on ahead!" His voice dripped with sarcasm.

She raised her eyebrows. "All right." Turning, she went toward the tree. Matt quickly grabbed her arm.

"Stop it, Kate." She spun to face him.

"Let _go_ of me." Matt let her wrench her arm from his grip, trying to ignore the feel of the muscles in her arm under his hand. "You can't tell me what to do, Matt. You're not my brother, or my father, or anyone who has any say in what I do."

He lifted a hand to his face and rolled his eyes skyward. "That's right. With the history the two of us have, I certainly have no say in any part of your life." He clenched his jaw.

Kate was silent for a moment, but he couldn't seem to look at her.

"_You_ left _me_, Matt. You gave up any say you might have had the minute you walked away. Do not even speak to me about what say you have in my life. You _left_ me." Her voice was angrier than he had expected, laced with a deep hurt that made his stomach twist and pain lance up his limbs. When he looked at her she seemed caught between the urge to cry and the urge to hit him. Not that he could blame her.

He opened his mouth and nothing came out. She looked like she was waiting for him to say something, but he couldn't seem to make his throat work. Finally, he rasped out, "Kate – " when there was a sudden burst of silver.

Kate didn't even have time to scream as the cloud cat swept down at them. Matt seemed frozen on the spot, watching it all in astonishing slow motion.

It was originally aiming for him, but at the last minute seemed to decide that Kate would be an easier target, and changed course. Kate had thrown her arms over her head to protect herself, but the cloud cat raked its – her? Was it the same one? – claws over her left arm before tackling her to the ground. In the split second before he moved, all Matt saw was silver fur and a splash of blood.

Then he was screaming and running towards the struggling mass of fur. But before he could even get there – he wasn't sure was he was going to do, anyway. What use was he against a leopard with wings? Luckily his thought process didn't get that far. – there was a very bright flash from underneath the cat.

It flung itself backwards, screeching. The sound made the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. As it flew back a ways, Matt picked up whatever he could off the ground to hurl at it. Rocks, sticks, even his machete. Hissing, it flew up and into the branches, flying a little shakily as it shook its head.

Matt's attention instantly went to Kate, who was lying in the undergrowth, looking horrifically limp and blood-stained.

"Kate? Kate! Oh God, Kate, are you – Kate – answer me – " Panic made Matt's heart pound in his chest, his blood rushing at the sight of Kate wounded and on the ground. He knelt beside her, wanting to touch her, comfort her in some way, but completely unsure of where to put his hands. His eyes swept over her left arm, the entirety of which was covered in claw marks oozing blood. He swallowed. "Oh God…"

She moaned a little and dropped the camera she had been holding – the source of the flash. Glancing over his shoulder, Matt saw that the cloud cat was perched on a branch, looking at them with intelligent yellow eyes. It swished its tail in a rather ominous way.

It leaped through the air, wings sweeping open as it began to descend upon them again. On instinct Matt grabbed the camera from near Kate's hand and, only barely aiming it in the cat's general direction, pressed the trigger.

There was another loud bang and a flash, and again the cat shrieked and slew backwards. It shook its head, apparently temporarily blinded by the flash. He kept an eye on it, but it seemed greatly annoyed by such retaliation from what was supposed to have been easy prey, and flew off over the canopy.

Matt watched it go, taking deep, shuddering breaths. He held onto the camera weakly. Behind him, Kate let out another moan and said weakly, "Matt?"

He whipped around and went to her.

"I'm going to get you back to the ship, alright? You'll be fine. You'll be fine." He dropped the camera and gently picked Kate up in his arms. Settling her against him, he tried his best to make sure her injured arm was tucked safely on top of her. She let her head fall against his shoulder and, impulsively, he pressed his lips to her hair. "You'll be absolutely fine, love. I just have to get you back."

He walked down the familiar route towards the airship, concentrating wholly on the limp form in his arms and putting one foot in front of the other.

So he didn't see the figure in the trees, watching them go and then turning and running deeper into the valley.

--

"What _happened_?" Yelled Luke, trying to look past Matt's arms to see Kate. "What happened to her? Is she going to be okay?"

Matt didn't say anything, just walked to the tiny infirmary they had and lay Kate as gently as he could on the exam table. Her eyes were closed and she was unnaturally pale.

Baz rushed in. "What's going on? What – oh God." Matt looked over his shoulder at his best friend, eyes desperate.

"Baz, can you do anything?" They had no doctor on board, usually Baz took care of the minor scrapes they got into. Sprained muscles and cuts were the worst of it. Claw-shaped rents down the entire length of an arm were a little beyond that.

"I – I don't – Matt. I don't know." Baz's voice was helpless sounding. Matt made a noise of frustration and turned back to Kate. He wiped her sweaty hair off her forehead, running his fingers down the side of her face. She moved a little, groaning. Her eyes opened a little, and tears leaked out.

"Matt?" Her voice cracked. He leaned closer instinctively.

"I'm here." He had to swallow before he could continue. "You're going to be fine." He wished he believed what he had told her.

"I actually have some minimal training," Luke spoke up. The two men whipped around to face him. He looked a little nervous. "I started medical school before I dropped out to become a biologist." He laughed a little, ironically. "It was actually one of Kate's first articles that did it."

"Can you do anything for her?" Matt didn't want to admit how desperate his voice sounded. He had been gripping Kate's hand in his the entire time.

For a minute it looked like Luke might back down, but he swallowed and nodded.

"Let's get her something for the pain and then wash out the wound."

Matt let out a long breath and let go of Kate's hand to go grab a pitcher full of water. Before he went, he leaned over Kate again and wiped away the tears that were leaking out from under her closed eyelids. She bit her lip.

"You're going to be fine."

Next time: Something wicked this way comes.


	7. Signal Fire

AN: Thanks to all who have been patient with me! The next few chapters after this are proving fairly hard to write, so it might be a while. But the feedback I've gotten for this story has been AMAZING, so thank you all so much!!

**Chapter VII**

Signal Fire

The midday sun sparkled off the water, bouncing off its surface and into the porthole of the infirmary, blinding everyone inside. Baz shut the blind and turned on a light, casting a strangely gloomy feel over the room. Matt crossed his arms and tried to keep from pacing.

This wound wasn't life threatening. She had lost a lot of blood, but nothing major had been hit and Luke looked like he was cleaning it well. What terrified him was their isolation – their lack of resources if something were to go wrong. And although he trusted Luke a little – because Kate trusted him – he couldn't help but be overwhelmed with fear as he looked at her incredibly pale face.

"How's it coming?" Baz asked quietly, saying Matt's words for him. He knew his friend's throat had closed up.

Luke looked up and wiped his forehead. He smeared a bit of blood there, and Matt winced.

"It's coming along nicely, actually. Now that I've gotten all the dirt out I think I can start to stitch it up." Matt went to stand at Kate's other side, her uninjured side. She had passed out a little while ago, either succumbing to blood loss or just the drugs they had given her. Nervously, he ran his hand over her shoulder, her cheek, her hair.

There was nothing he could _do_ for her. Gazing at her face, he felt helplessness and frustration well up inside of him, threatening to close over his head and drag him under. He swallowed and looked away from her, blinking quickly.

--

Luke's arm was covered in her blood, and he had to take his glasses off to actually be able to see. Matt was no stranger to injury or blood, but he felt like vomiting at the sight of Kate's.

Baz put a hand on his shoulder, squeezing it reassuringly. Matt turned and gave him a tight smile but turned back to the two forms on the table, one moving very quickly an the other not moving at all.

--

She was so pale. He had never seen her skin so incredibly lacking in color.

Baz lifted the blind a little to peer outside. "It's a little past noon, I think. I should head up to the bridge and talk to Hull and Gavin. Check a few things." Matt nodded, glad he was taking over. He didn't think he could handle responsibility right now.

Luke put down the needle and thread.

--

Some time later, Kate woke up. She blinked groggily at the ceiling, and Luke leaned over her, anxious.

"What…happened?" Her voice was raspy.

Luke went to the tiny sink and filled a glass of water for her. He helped her sit up a tiny bit and take a few sips. "You're going to be fine. I patched you up."

She smiled a little quizzically. "You patched me up?"

He shrugged modestly. "I was going to be a doctor until I read a certain article that made me want to be a biologist."

"Well that was lucky," she said, surprised.

A smile tugged at his mouth. "A certain article about these fantastic creatures – part cat and part bird."

Kate laughed and then began coughing.

"Ugh, my arm feels like it's on fire." She leaned back against the pillow Baz had put behind her.

"I can give you a little bit more pain medication, if you want. I think I did fairly well stitching up your arm. You'll have impressive scars, though." He filled her glass again and stirred in the powder, handing it to her guiltily. "I'm not good enough not to leave scars."

She drank it, making a face, but gave him a reassuring look. "Luke, if you hadn't been here, I might be dead." Her smile slipped and she reached out to take his hand. "Thank you."

Now he smiled. "Not at all a problem, Miss de Vries."

She chuckled a little, full of irony. "The funny thing is, if Landon had come, he would have been able to help."

Luke gave her a funny look. "Landon? He never would have come on this trip."

"He – " she began defensively, but stopped. "No, I don't suppose he would have." She sighed and then glanced at the door. "Where is Ma – are the others?" Luke raised his eyebrows.

"I had to force him to leave your side, but someone needed…something up on the bridge. I didn't understand what he meant. Some airship jargon. I made him leave, barely." Kate smiled a little. "This may be a terrible time, but Kate…" He plucked up his courage. "What happened between you and the Captain?"

She opened her mouth and then closed it again. "It…was a long time ago. He gave up, and I moved on." Suddenly, she blinked slowly. "I think the medicine…" Luke watched her eyelids droop as she slumped back against the pillow and fell asleep.

--

A soft rustling of fabric made Matt jerk his head up. He had fallen asleep in a chair next to the makeshift bed, and wiped his hand quickly across his tired eyes. Kate was moving around a little, finally awake. He stood and she turned to look at him.

"Matt?"

"Hello," he said, and instantly felt imbecilic. He swallowed and wiped suddenly sweaty hands on his trousers. How was it that this girl – woman – could make him feel like a volatile 15-year-old all over again just by looking at him.

She was smiling. He smiled weakly in return. "Looks like you're getting some color back." Mentally berating himself for sounding so stupid so soon, he looked away from her and missed her fond half-smile. His eyes fell on the window. "Would you like to have to shade open? Some sunlight might be good."

"That would be nice." As he did so, he heard her push herself up into a sitting position. "How long have I been out?"

"A few hours." He looked out the porthole and out at the sun glimmering across the water. It was low in the sky, everything soaked in reddish orange light. It seeped into the room, and when he turned, Kate's face was bright with it. "Luke did a great job of patching you up." He stood on her injured side, looking down at her bandaged arm.

"I feel a lot better," she said. "A little shaky, but good." He gave her a half smile.

"Good."

There was a small pause as she shifted a little, trying to get comfortable. Matt desperately wanted to touch her, comfort her in some way, but didn't know how.

"How did you…fight it off?" She asked, flinching a little as her movement pained her.

Matt looked down and chuckled quietly. "You actually did most of it. Gave me the idea, anyway. You used your camera; the flash scared it off." She smiled a little before her eyes went wide.

"Then…we might have gotten a picture of it." There was a short, weighty silence. "Did you…manage to grab my camera?"

Matt felt guilt lance through his body. "No. I – I didn't even think about it. I was so concentrated on getting you – "

"It's alright, Matt." Even though she was smiling weakly, he could see that she was disappointed. "We…haven't left yet?"

"I – no." He paused, puzzled by himself. He honestly hadn't even _thought_ about leaving.

She laughed a little, raising her eyebrows. "No intentions to whisk me off to medical help?" There was a mix of joking and seriousness in her voice.

"We have unfinished business here."

He said it without thinking, and immediately shut his mouth. Kate's eyes widened a little and she stiffened. He'd meant the job, the pirates, surely. But of course he hadn't. Of course not.

They stared at each other, so close in the tiny, hot room. He thought she was incredibly beautiful, even with her too-pale face and bandaged arm.

Realization hit him in the stomach like a closed-fisted punch.

Her eyes were still wide as he looked down at her, and he wanted so much to touch her right then. She looked a little confused still, but he could see emotion brimming right underneath the surface. The sun set, the light on her face fading to dull orange. He swallowed.

"Kate, I wanted to…I'm sorry. For all this. For everything that's gone wrong." He half meant the cloud cat attack, half…everything else.

For a moment it looked like she might cry. Matt was standing close to the table, his hands resting on the edge, and she reached to brush her fingers against his. He caught them tight.

"It…wasn't you fault, Matt," she said slowly.

There was an enormous pause, and Matt felt some weight fall from his shoulders as he took a deep, shaky breath. The way her eyes were shining with unshed tears let him know they weren't talking about what had happened that day. They had ducked into the past.

He took his hand from hers and brought it up to her forehead, smoothing her hair back from her face. She leaned into his touch.

"Matt, I – "

Before she could finish, Luke poked his head through the door. Matt stepped back from Kate as if she were on fire.

"Matt, Baz says to get up to the bridge immediately. The pirates, they – they know we're here," he panted.

Matt felt a chill run through him. Another image of the _Aurora_ flashed across his mind, broken and beached.

"Oh my God," he heard Kate whisper behind him. Without looking at her, he ran through the door and up to the bridge.

Baz was holding binoculars to his eyes, peering towards the tree line. Matt went to stand beside him, laying a hand on his shoulder to let the other man know he was there.

"Sir," Baz turned. "The pirates. They've got some sort of short-range radio and they called us – "

"What did they say?" Matt interrupted him. Several members of his crew stilled at his words.

"They said a scout saw you and a girl – Kate – in the forest yesterday." Baz shed his nervousness and his face set in a serious mask. "They also said they've got guns trained on the ship, and they'll shoot the hull if we try to pull away." He let out a short, angry sigh. "Not that we could get the lines untied, anyway."

Matt looked down, gritting his teeth and clenching his hands on the edge of the window. "Damn. Damn it," he swore under his breath.

"Sir, they also said that they want to speak with you."

"Me?" he lifted his head, surprised.

"Yes, sir. You specifically, though they wanted the passengers on board to come out too." Baz's eyes flickered to the edge of the jungle again, and Matt's followed. In the falling dusk, six dark human figures walked out of the jungle and across the sand.

NEXT: Things take a turn for the worse.


	8. Anything

AN: Again, thanks for all the support! Sorry this chapter's a little short and simply action, but it was necessary. Just hold out, the next chapter will be worth the wait!!

**Chapter VIII**

Anything

With Baz at his side, Matt lowered a ladder from the cargo bay doors and onto the sand below. Kate and Luke were standing back a ways, Kate leaning on Luke a little. She had improved an astonishing amount for one day, but was still a little dizzy while walking.

The man in the lead had his hands stuck casually in his pockets and a smug smile on his face. He was broad and a good three or four inches taller than Matt, whose eyes flickered to the gun hanging from a holster at his hip.

"Captain," he said, and Matt felt the muscles in his own jaw clench. His accent sounded too familiar to Szpirlgas' for comfort. They stopped with five feet between them and stared.

"You have us at somewhat of a disadvantage," Matt said dryly. He could feel Baz beside him, a tightly wound mass of muscles ready for action at any second. "I was sure the Sky Guard had cleared this island some five years ago."

The pirate captain chuckled. "A lot of things can happen in five years, Captain." There was a lengthy pause as they studied each other in the growing dark. A warm breeze pushed at the back of Matt's neck. "But allow me to introduce myself. Captain Alexandre Gunari." His hands stayed hooked in his belt loops, as did Matt's. When Matt didn't answer, Gunari peered at him. "And you are Captain Matthew Cruse, correct?"

If Matt was surprised, he didn't show it. Again, he didn't answer. Gunari chuckled again. "It's all right, you don't need to answer. I only have a picture of you from 5 years ago and you've grown, but you look similar." A chill washed over Matt.

"And how would you happen to have a picture of me?" Panic was rising in Matt's throat. There was something intensely wrong about this situation, something other than the fact that his ship and his people were basically being held at gunpoint.

Gunari took a few steps closer and Baz stepped up behind Matt. Never taking his eyes off Gunari, he held a hand out to stop Baz from getting in the middle of this mess. "From the Sky Guard papers, of course," replied Gunari mildly. "It was all over the newspapers, after all. 'Boy hero kills infamous pirate'…" he trailed off, looking over Matt's shoulder. "She's a beauty."

Instantaneously, a wave of hot rage rose in Matt. He knew Gunari wasn't talking about the ship.

"Leave her out of this," said Matt through clenched teeth, intensely aware at that moment that he didn't have a gun.

Eyes still on Kate, Gunari's lips twitched in a small smile underneath his dark beard. "I think we might have to re-think this arrangement." Anger was making Matt's heart pound. Anger and helplessness.

"I said, leave her out of this. This is between you and me. They've no business here."

"Of course they do," Gunari said pleasantly. "Passengers that charter private ships have money. That was originally all I was going to ask for, but now…" he trailed off, eyes locked on Kate over Matt's shoulder. He could sense Baz, Kate and Luke all behind him, tension thick in the air. Matt stepped forward, blocking her from view.

"Do not even think about it. Take the money, take whatever it is you want – "

Matt stopped short as something flickered in Gunari's eyes and he whipped out his pistol. The weapon was leveled at his forehead. He heard Kate gasp behind him and Baz make a noise of surprise. Everyone froze.

"What I want?" Gunari had seemed pleasant before, calm, but now there was a strange light in his eyes and a strange sharpness in his voice. "What I _want_, Mr. Cruse, is for our leader to be alive again." He and Matt stared at each other.

"I want you dead, I want your ship, and I want that woman. Take her."

"NO!" Yelled Matt, but the six pirates sprang into action. He heard Kate yell something, heard Baz and Luke struggling. This was a nightmare. It had to be a nightmare.

Two of the pirates had grabbed Matt's arms while he was at gunpoint and Gunari lowered his pistol. "Quickly now, I don't have all night. I want the lady back at camp in a couple of hours." He bent in a bow that would have seemed polite if not for the leer on his face. "Your name, Miss…"

Kate was struggling wildly between two large men. She spat at Gunari, though she was too far away to hit him. He smiled indulgently.

"Of course. I wouldn't expect anything more from you, Miss de Vries. And yes, I do know who you are. You were in the Sky Guard papers as well." One of the men squeezed her injured arm and her fierce face blanched at the pain. She gasped.

"Don't hurt her," Matt snarled, and tried once again to break free of his captors. They were much bigger than him, and the helplessness made him irrational. He swore violently at Gunari, who just raised his eyebrows, mildly impressed at Matt's language.

"Not the language I would expect from a graduate of the Airship Academy." He said it with intense disdain. "From the captain of a ship like this. A ship that is now mine."

"She's not yours." Matt was ashamed to hear his voice quaver a little with emotion. "Neither of them are yours."

"No, I don't expect a man can ever _own_ a woman like this," Gunari said thoughtfully, walking closer to Kate. She pulled back a little, and tilted her head up to glare at him. She was sickeningly pale and looked terrified, but managed to glare at him with a fierceness that almost made Matt smile. "No, I think not. But what I want isn't ownership."

"NO," cried Luke, and for the first time Matt remembered that he was there. He only had one man on him, and his sudden motion took the pirate by complete surprise. Luke ran across the sand towards Gunari, trying to get in between Kate and Gunari.

Several things happened simultaneously. Kate yelled at him to stop, Matt tried again – desperately – to break free of his captives, and a shot rang out over the beach.

"LUKE!" Kate screamed. Gunari slowly lowered the pistol he had aimed at Luke's leg. Kate's assistant had fallen to the sand, blood flowing freely from the bullet hole in his thigh. "Oh my God, Luke!" Kate yelled again, struggling and then yelping as the pirate squeezed her arm again. Casually, Gunari wiped some sand off of his weapon and put it back in its holster.

"Take her back to camp, leave the rest of them here. We'll come for the ship in the morning, when it's light enough to fly to camp." He approached Kate and looked at her closely. She glared at him with a mix of horror and hatred, straining against her captives. "Now come along, dear, or my aim might shift next time. I might hit someone more valuable to you." He glanced at Matt, who was currently torn between wanting to help Luke and to go to Kate.

Luke moaned on the sand, clutching his leg. He went suddenly still, and Kate gasped. Gunari, however, didn't have the time to waste.

"I said move it, men!" His bark sent the pirates into a flurry of motion. They pulled out some rope and began tying Baz and Matt's hands and feet together. Baz bit one of their hands, and earned a backhanded slap for his troubles. Matt was struggling so desperately that one of the pirates kicked him in the stomach. The breath left his lungs in a gasp.

Gunari and the other pirates were dragging a kicking and screaming Kate into the forest.

"KATE!" Matt managed to scream. "KATE!" He wanted to say something brave, something reassuring, but something hard hit his temple and everything went black.

--

"Matt? Matt, are you alright?" Matt groaned and moved his head a little, instantly regretting it. He opened his eyes slowly to a dusky sky and Baz's worried face.

"You alright, mate? That was a nasty blow." Matt sat up slowly.

"What – how did you get untied? How's Luke?" He gasped and looked towards the jungle. "Kate! Oh my God." He was trying to stand when Baz stopped him.

"You can't go after them, Matt, you're hurt. And there are pirates watching the beach to make sure we don't leave." Baz reached out to touch his head. "And you're bleeding.

"Damn it. Damn." He closed his eyes for a moment and felt his head spin. "I'm fine." He blinked and willed his vision to widen from the little pinprick of light he was now seeing through. "I need to follow them. I have to get Kate back." His vision blinked back to life and he shook his head a little. "Luke. How is he?" Matt made himself take a few deep breaths, trying to slow his pounding heart. The urge to charge after Kate was so overwhelming that for a moment he almost just got up and ran.

"Not too good. He passed out from the pain earlier, but the bullet hole's all sandy. We need to get him to the infirmary somehow." Baz peered off into the growing darkness, and Matt followed his gaze, seeing two pirates along the jungle's edge.

"Damn," Matt swore again, helplessness making bile rise in his throat. "I have to go after Kate. How can I get past them?"

They paused for a moment and thought. "I'll go over to them and make a big fuss about needing to get Luke on to the ship and into the infirmary. While I'm doing that, you slip away."

Matt took a deep breath. "Okay. But don't get yourself shot as well." Their eyes met and Baz grinned cockily.

"Not a chance, brother." They stood slowly, shakily, and Baz put his hand on Matt's shoulder. "Go get your girl back." Matt nodded. He watched as Baz walked over to where Luke was lying, and as he began to complain loudly to the pirates and dramatically wave his arms, Matt slipped into the shadowy line of the jungle. As he ran, his thoughts were consumed by one thing.

Kate.

--

Next time: The beginning of the resolution.


	9. Freefall

**Chapter IX**

Freefall

The jungle was loud at night. Surprisingly so. Matt was glad for the noise to cover his mad dash through the forest. His innate sense of direction made it so he didn't have to look over his shoulder and make sure he knew the way back, but he didn't really know where he was going.

He was running, panting in the humid air and stumbling over roots. Desperation made him run without watching his feet.

There was a small crunch has he stepped on something that felt distinctly non-organic. Looking down, he saw a small rectangular shape – Kate's little notebook. He nearly grinned when he saw, grabbed it off the jungle floor and saw the footprints. With a new burst of speed, he was off.

A short time later, he heard their voice. Or, rather, Kate's shrill voice as she made demands and insults and generally made life difficult for the two pirates trying to ferry her back to their camp.

"How _dare_ you!" He heard her yell. "You corpulent, moronic, toad-faced buffoons!" Matt crept up behind them and looked for some sort of weapon. He picked up a broken off branch as quietly as he could. The two pirates had stopped to deal with Kate.

"Not worth the trouble, I say," said the tall one. He put a hand to his face, where Matt could see fingernail scratches on his cheek. Kate struggled in their grip, and the larger pirate put his hands on her wounded arm and squeezed. Kate let out a gasp of pain.

"Oh, that hurt, did it?" he leered, and pushed Kate in between the two of them. "Now shut up, or you'll get worse than that. Go on, luv, give us a try." The tall one laughed and they pressed her between them. Kate looked unbelievably small, and Matt felt rage bubble in his chest.

BANG. Matt hit the large one over the head with the branch as hard as he could, and the pirate went down like a stone. Kate gasped and the tall one yelled. Matt tried to bring the branch up in time but it was too heavy, and he felt his head spin as he took a punch to the face.

Despite the almighty ringing in his ears, Matt whipped back around and threw a punch at the pirate, landing it on the side of his head. The tall pirate was stronger than him, but Matt was a lot faster, and kept evading his blows. He took one to his shoulder, hard, and let out a hissed breath in pain.

There was a yell behind him. The large one was staggering to his feet, but Kate was on top of him, hitting and scratching everything she could reach.

Matt punched the tall one in the face again and immediately pushed him so that he stumbled backwards. This gave him a moment to grab the branch again, and he brought it down on the pirate's head with a crash. The pirate went down and stayed down.

Taking a deep breath, Matt turned and saw Kate standing over the body of the large one. He was moaning, but down for the count.

She stepped on the large pirate's hand with brutal force, her face deathly pale. Before she could do more harm, Matt grabbed her hand and pulled her deeper into the trees. They ran for some time, breathing heavily in the warm darkness. He thought he heard Kate's breath stagger, as if she were holding back a sob.

They stopped by the little stream for a breather. Matt walked around a bit, still wound up and panting. Kate was shaking.

"Are you alright?" He asked, going over to her.

She nodded but wouldn't look at him. "Fine." Her voice was too high.

"Hey," he said, reaching out and tilting her chin up so that she would meet his gaze. "You're alright. You're safe." She looked like she might cry, and he felt a stab of guilt in his stomach. She was too pale, and holding her arm stiffly at her side.

"Sorry," he said, wanting to hold her so badly but afraid what his touch might invoke.

She looked up, pushed some of her damp hair off her forehead.

"For what?" Matt didn't want to say it, it was too hard, but he had to.

"For leaving. For giving up."

Kate was silent for a long time, her look sharp through the darkness. "Why did you leave?"

Matt was silent for a long time. "It was too hard, Kate. I knew I could never be part of your world, for all the money on earth. It seemed easier to just…run."

At this Kate flared to life. She stepped closer and glared at him. "You could have done it, Matt. _We_ could have done it. But you _left_." He was startled to see angry tears in her eyes. She swiped her hand across her face. "You just gave up."

"It's not that simple." He rose to her challenge. "You don't understand what it's like to have to work for something you'll never get, Kate. You just don't get it."

"Don't say that," she snapped. Her eyes blazing, she stepped very close to him and was almost yelling. "I told you that you were all I wanted. I told you I didn't care if you were rich or poor. You didn't listen to me!" He scoffed and turned away. "What," she snapped again. "What is it?"

His voice was softer now. "Where ever this argument is going, it's not going to do any good. It's too late now." Silence descended on them, even the jungle seemed to go still.

"You _left_ me." Her voice was very quiet, broken. Matt felt another stab of guilt.

"I know," he said, turning stepping closer. "I'm so sorry, Kate. I wish…I'd give anything to go back and change that."

He raised a hand and brushed her long, tangled hair off her shoulder. She exhaled tiredly and almost swayed into his touch. Matt felt that undeniable, magnetic force between them and this time when he looked down at her, she looked back.

He took her face in his hands and lowered his mouth to hers. Kate let out an anguished breath and leaned up to him, and when their lips met it was like they could breath again. Matt felt a familiar, gut-wrenching sense of rightness as she pressed back against him, her hands bunched in the shirt on his chest, pulling him closer. Her lips tasted like sweat and mangoes, and he couldn't remember anything more perfect.

She opened her mouth under his and he breathed her in. Making a noise of want in the back of his throat he sealed his lips over hers. His hands moved to her hair, tangling themselves in the mane that fell down her back. Kate, not willing to be outdone, pressed into him, wanting to be as close as possible. Her kiss became more urgent, and Matt felt his heart pounding in his chest.

She was in his arms again, and he could breathe.

Suddenly her hands were inside his shirt, cold on his stomach and he gasped, pulling away from the kiss. They looked at each other, eyes dark and heated, and panted for breath in the humid air.

"Kate," he rasped out, hands falling to her hips. "We…we can't. You're getting _married_." The words were hollow, hated, but they had to be said. She swallowed and looked down. They stayed as they were for a minute, Matt gazing sadly at the top of her head, wanting nothing more than to kiss her like that again.

"Matt," she said, looking up again, her voice still a little ragged. "You weren't the only one who made a mistake. After you left, I was…when I met Landon I grabbed on to him, desperate to have someone, anyone." She took a deep breath and he stared at her. "He is a dreadful, dreadful mistake. You're the only one I want, the only one I ever wanted."

Now Matt couldn't breath, and he was fairly sure he never wanted to again. Kate watched him for a moment, saw the shock on his face, and smiled. Her eyes slipped to his lips, and suddenly they were kissing again.

Matt was sure he had never felt anything this perfect in his entire life. Not with Nadira, not flying an airship, not graduating from the Academy. Even though it was far too hot, even though they were both shaking from adrenaline, even though he was careful not to touch Kate's injured arm…he breathed her in with a sigh.

He loved her. Without a doubt, without a single question, he knew it. He'd always known it. There was absolutely no one else in the entire world but Kate de Vries.

Kate made a noise that made the hair on the back of his neck stand up, and suddenly pulled back. He almost protested, but she stroked the side of his face and looked up at him with the strangest expression on her face.

"Matt," she began, but broke off. She wet her lips and he barely refrained from kissing her again. "God, I love you."

All the air left his lung as he stared at her, eyes wide with amazement. He had suspected, wondered, _hoped_ she did, but that had always seemed like a wild fantasy of his. To hear her actually say it…he kissed her again, hard, trying to convey how he felt in return because suddenly words didn't seem enough for the amazing woman before him.

Matt felt like he was falling, spiraling towards the earth in an inescapable freefall. The ground beneath him had fallen away and he was dropping. But he had been born in the air. It was where he was meant to be. So, as he slid his lips across hers, it felt like coming home.

"Love you, Kate. God, so much." The words came out a little like nonsense, but he felt her smile against his lips and press closer, her arms around his neck pulling him tight.

They were alone in their own garden of Eden, though it was dirty and sweaty and dangerous. Matt found it fitting that they find each other again here, where it all began. He could remember the feel of her tear-soaked lips last time, but this was infinitely better. The _feel_ of Kate next to him was too perfect to imagine.

Suddenly, a loud noise broke them apart. The gunshot echoed through the trees and the animals that were generally making noise went completely silent. Matt took a shaky breath and kept his grip on Kate, who had gone very still.

"Was that…a gunshot?"

"Yeah," he replied.

"Was it – "

"Yeah," he said again, anticipating her thought. "Yeah, it was in the direction of the _Artemis_."

They stared at the trees around them, as if they could see through them the mile or so to the beach, where who knew what disaster was unfolding. The jungle was silent.

--

Next time: Have mercy for those left behind.

AN: We're coming up to the finish here! Just a couple more chapters. I'm working on the final one right now. Woo!! This is, obviously, the title chapter, though. Surprisingly easy to write, but also probably the most important. For these two, anyway.

Also, I had originally written a much..uh..higher rated scene here with Matt and Kate that I eventually cut because it just didn't fit at all with the moment and made very minimal sense. But it'll probably show up as an outtake later!!

As always, thanks for all the support!!


	10. Open Your Eyes

**Chapter X**

Open Your Eyes

"Matt, we have to get back." Kate raised a hand to her mouth. "Oh my God. Luke. Is he alright?"

"He's okay. Baz was getting him on the ship when I left to come after you." He raised his hand to her face. "Kate, I – "

"Later, Matt." Apologetically, she stood on her toes and pressed a quick kiss to his lips. "Later, I promise. But we need to get off this island first."

"Okay." He grabbed her hand and pulled her the direction of the gunshot and the _Artemis_. "Right. Come on."

They ran. The jungle was dark around them, and roots and vines seemed to reach up towards their legs to make them stumble. They did, and often. Kate fell to her knees once but Matt hauled her back to her feet. The humid air was thick in their throats, making it hard to breathe, but they didn't stop running.

They were running downhill, slipping and sliding and barely managing to keep their feet when Kate gasped. Matt stopped and looked back at her, gasping for breath.

"What is it?"

"Matt, this is the cloud cat tree." She was gazing up, and as Matt followed her eyes he saw the tall, distinctive tree, dark against the stars.

"I don't really think this is the time, Kate."

She didn't even look at him. "You dropped my camera here, right? If I can find it…" she trailed off and darted into the clearing, scanning the ground quickly. "If I can bring back photographic evidence, they'll have no choice but to believe me this time."

Matt made a noise of exasperation in his throat and almost told Kate to forget the camera. He darted a glance into the jungle, towards the beach. In a flash he saw the _Artemis_ as a mirror to the _Aurora_, broken and dying. He swallowed and looked back at Kate.

She was searching the tall grass near where she had fallen. Her long hair was a tangled mess down her back, falling in front of her shoulders. Her face was too dark to see, but Matt would have bet anything that her eyes were bright with determination. He sighed. Could he ever deny her anything?

He walked over to her and started looking through the grass, trying to remember where he had tossed it. They moved urgently, panic making them almost stumble into each other once.

"Found it!" cried Kate. She held it up, smiling brilliantly. Matt let loose the breathe he hadn't known he'd been holding.

"Great. Now let's go."

They ran again. Somehow the trek seemed much longer now, even though they were going much faster than usual. The dark jungle was seemingly endless.

Finally, they burst out across the sandy expanse of the beach, lit by the moonlight. The sky was huge above them, starry and distant, and Matt ached to be up in it. Kate was stumbling more now, gasping for air. He looked at her and saw her face was unbelievably pale, and she was holding her arm pinned to her chest.

"Are you alright?" He yelled over the sound of their pounding feet.

"Yes, I'm – " She broke off in a short, startled scream. In between them and the _Artemis_ – she was still floating far above the sand – were several dark figures. Kate and Matt halted abruptly, panting. Kate clutched her camera more tightly.

"Mr. Cruse." Gunari stepped forward, and Matt clenched his fists. Again he was defenseless and weaponless, this time simply because he had been careless. He hadn't even thought to grab anything; he'd been too caught up in Kate, as usual. "Fancy seeing you here, Miss de Vries. What a terrible coincidence."

"Leave her alone," spat Matt. There were four pirates now, but that was still too much for them. He'd only beaten the other two with Kate because he'd had surprise on his side. Now…

Gunari gave him a pitying smile. "That didn't work especially well the first time, Cruse." He strode closer, looking Kate up and down. "Once again, I will have to insist that your little dock whore stays with us." He felt Kate tense beside him, raging silently.

"She's not going anywhere," Matt said through gritted teeth, and clenched his fists. He lunged at Gunari, hoping to surprise him, but was sorely wrong. His blow hit thin air, and Gunari shoved him to the ground. Kate gasped.

"Don't rush into a fight you can't win, Cruse," said Gunari evenly. "We may not be able to get our leader back, but we can certainly get rid of the reason he died." Matt was on his knees, and found himself looking up the barrel of Gunari's pistol. Everyone froze.

At that moment, the _Artemis_'s engines burst into life. The noise was deafening, and the pirates jumped in surprise. Matt acted instantly, grabbing Kate's hand and hauling her towards the ship. The slipped under her belly and to the side with the cargo bay doors.

As he had suspected from the moment the engines started up, Baz had instructed one of the crew members to open the bay doors, and Matt nimbly climbed up. He hauled Kate up behind him quickly, and he felt the ship rise beneath him. The bow lines – the only ones left tied, thanks to Baz and the crew – snapped easily under the pressure of the _Artemis_ pulling on them. Slowly, slowly, she rose.

Matt looked at Kate, who was gasping for air and grinning like a fool. They shared a disbelieving grin, their feet dangling over the edge of the ship's open door. Neither of them had the strength to move in that moment.

Then, with a scream, Kate was hauled back out the doors.

Matt yelled and scrambled to the edge. On the ground, not far below him but just far enough, was Gunari, his arms wrapped around a wildly struggling Kate. She was screaming bloody murder and thrashing, but he was holding on.

"Turn around! Stop the ship!" Matt yelled desperately. "Somebody stop the ship!!"

"Can't, sir," said a crew member. "We've got too much momentum worked up now."

Matt froze for the briefest of instants and then sprang to his feet. Like he was running on air, he sprinted across the cargo bay and down the hallway. The _Artemis_ wasn't a huge ship compared to some, but she was plenty large. And Matt had never felt that more keenly than right now. He had to get to the bridge, had to turn her around. Had to get Kate. Kate.

He took the stairs two at a time, and jumped over the bottom three. Adrenaline made his veins sing.

"Turn her around!" he yelled. "Turn the ship around!"

"What?" Cried Baz. "We can't do that!"

"They grabbed Kate," Matt yelled. "We have to go back."

"I…Matt, I'm sorry, but we can't turn the ship in time. And they'll shoot us down if we do." Matt felt steely resolve replace the adrenaline in his body, and he clenched his fists.

"Baz, get down to the hangar bay and open the doors. Give me the helm."

There was the briefest of pauses as everyone stared at him. "DO IT."

Matt all but ran to the wheel, gripping it tightly in both hands. "All engines astern, heading 1103." His voice was strong, sure. He was captain, and in the air. This was his place. "Bring her full about, Farrow. Hull, make sure the hydrium levels are below 0900. I want to be able to get low enough to grab her."

He turned the large wheel with all his might to the right, preparing to do a complete turn and end up with the cargo bay doors on the side of the beach. The wheel hit its limit, stalling against his hand. That was as far as it would go.

Matt frowned, his heart pounding unevenly in his chest. "Come on, come on…" He watched the skyline, only ocean visible, praying that he would make the turn before they dragged Kate off into the jungle. The _Artemis_ creaked beneath him, straining to make the turn as tightly as he wanted. He felt her shudder beneath his feet.

"Come on, come on," he whispered. Every single person on the bridge was looking out the windows, straining to see the island again.

There. There it was. Matt felt like cheering as the dark beach can into view. It was risky flying this close to the island at night, but Matt didn't care. It didn't matter.

He barked orders, unwinding the wheel and adjusting every so slightly to the offshore wind so that they didn't plow straight into the island. He craned his head, desperately looking for the few figures on the shore.

His ship was groaning, shuddering to make the turn. He asked a little more of her, practically begging her to make the turn and, miraculously, she did.

The metallic shriek of the cargo bay doors opening reached his ears from halfway across the ship. Matt swallowed, his mouth utterly dry.

He ordered the engines to be practically cut off as they level off with the shore. Prayer fell from his mouth. He'd never really believed in any god before, but somehow at this moment he was praying to something that Kate would make it onto his ship.

For the longest minute of his life, Matt willed himself to stay in one place. This had to work. It had to.

"Sir?" Hull looked at him, questioning. "Sir, if we stay much longer – "

"GO!" One of the deck hands in the cargo bay yelled up through the communication tubes. "Go, now!"

"Is she on board?" yelled Matt.

"Yes! Go, go!"

"Alright, move!" Matt bellowed, unwinding the steering wheel as quickly as he possibly can. Farrow revved up the engines again to full power and Hull upped the hydrium levels. The _Artemis_ rose like a bat out of hell, making all of their ears pop with the sudden change in altitude.

As the night sky stretched out before them over the seemingly endless ocean, Matt made himself breathe.

The crew settled back into their usual positions, rattled but coming back together. Matt stood for a long moment at the wheel, gripping it with white knuckles.

Then he turned and ran from the room, heading for the cargo bay.

--

Next time: "Now there's no looking forward, now there's no turning back."

AN: As always, thank you so much to all my absolutely amazing reviewers!! I adore you all. You make this story worth writing. Also, the name of this chapter is obviously a Snow Patrol song, but as I am making no money from this, I don't think anyone will mind. A couple other chapter titles have been song titles as well.


	11. We Belong

AN: Thanks to everyone who has been with me the whole way! This isn't the end - there's still the epilogue left, but I just wanted to say how much I adore you all. 3

I finished this chapter a while ago but I've been tweaking it a lot, and it still doesn't quite feel right. Tying up this much ended up being pretty hard (haha, good job Abbey). Anyway, here it is. And yes, the title is the Pat Benatar song of awesomeness. XD Also, beware...because here is where we enter the dangerous territory of the inescapably cheesy. headdesk And kind of keep in mind that I'm trying to make this mildly period-appropriate. SIGH. Well, here goes nothing.

**Chapter XI**

We Belong

When he finally saw her, she was lying in a gasping heap on her back, staring blankly at the ceiling. Baz was sitting next to her, the beginning of a laugh in his smile. Matt stood at the doorway and just watched them. Baz threw back his head and laughed, long and hard. Kate started quietly beside him, but after a moment she was clutching her stomach and gasping for air between her bursts of laughter as well.

"Kate."

The word was torn from his mouth unintentionally, but as soon as he said it, Kate's head snapped around to look at him.

There was a long silence before she finally sat up, slowly and haltingly. Matt walked towards her with the same halting slowness, his eyes taking in every inch of her battered, beautiful form.

Then, they ran to each other. Matt wasn't sure how exactly it happened, but she was suddenly in his arms. He hugged her tightly, maybe a little too tightly, and buried his face in her hair.

She was gripping him just as tightly, and now weeping into his shoulder. Weeping and laughing, he thought. For a long moment he just let himself enjoy the feeling of her in his arms again. He ran his hands over her back and hair, as if to make sure she was indeed in one piece.

She pulled back first, laughing, tears running down her face. He raised a hand and sloppily wiped her cheeks, both of them grinning and fumbling and silly.

"You came back," she said, beaming.

"Of course I did," he replied, smiling down at her.

She laughed and raised her eyebrows in disbelief. "I can't believe you left without me!"

"Well, now you know how it feels," he shot back, also laughing.

The smile slowly slipped from her face as her eyes met his, and she leaned up to kiss him, hard. He made a noise in the back of his throat and pulled her close to him. Their lips fit together perfectly, and Matt's stomach twisted with the utter _rightness_ of having her in his arms. He was never letting her go again.

--

"Hey there," Kate said, standing over Luke. The man was just waking up from a drugged sleep, but he made a noise of surprise. Matt watched the quiet scene from the door.

"You're on the ship," he said, his words a little slurred.

"Yeah," she replied, smiling. "And you got yourself shot." The remark was teasing, but still a little cutting. "Don't do that again, alright? We're going to get you to the hospital right when we get home." She paused and looked at her arm – the bandages dirty and falling off. "In fact, I might be joining you."

He blinked, and Matt noticed how extremely pale he looked. Alive, but his body was still in shock. "We left the island?"

"Yes." Kate paused for a long time, but then Luke raised his eyebrows and she laughed a little. "I got the camera back. We have proof."

Luke smiled and yawned widely. "Good. Glad you're alright."

"You too," Kate replied fondly, and kissed his forehead. Luke slipped into another drug-induced sleep, and she turned back to Matt.

"He's going to be fine," said Matt. Kate nodded wordlessly. For a bit, the only sound was Luke's deep, even breathing. Then Kate walked slowly over to him. He watched her come closer, swallowing and wondering what he would do when she reached him.

It was stupid to think about. He loved her, unequivocally, but what happened now? The kiss cargo bay had been born out of relief and excitement and he'd done it without thinking. Now that he was thinking, he couldn't stop coming up with problems and road blocks ahead of them.

"Hi," she said, stopping in front of him. The few inches that separated them felt like an ocean.

"Hi," he replied. For a long, silent time they just looked at each other. He swallowed and tried for normalcy. "So, how did you get back on the ship?"

Kate's eye flickered down for a moment and she unconsciously rubbed her injured arm lightly. "Well, Gunari grabbed me and pulled me down. Luckily he thought he could handle me by himself, because his fellow pirates were well away from us. I just, kind of…kept struggling. So he never got a solid hold on me." She smiled grimly. Matt could just see her fighting like a wildcat. He grimaced.

"And then, as you were swinging back around, I kicked him." Matt raised his eyebrows and didn't ask where. He could gather that much from the determined set of her jaw. "And then I bolted for the ship. The cargo bay doors opened, and two of your crew, Baz was one of them, were there to grab my hands and haul me inside." She swallowed again. "And then I was onboard again." She took a deep breath and gave him a little smile. "All in a matter of minutes."

Matt could only stare at her for what felt like forever. She didn't look away. Then she raised her hand to touch a scratch on his face.

"Do you want to put anything on this?"

"No, I'm fine. But thank you." He caught her hand and held on to it. She smiled and stepped closer, as if expecting to be kissed. He swallowed and didn't.

"Is…everything alright?" Her large brown eyes were puzzled.

"Yeah. Everything's fine."

She gave him a look. "Matt."

His eyes darted away and he sighed. "I don't know. It's just…"

"Just what?" asked Kate a little sharply. "I thought we talked about this. In the jungle, I thought you…Matt, what's going on?" She tried to yank her hand from his but he didn't let it go.

"No, no, that's not it," he said quickly. "I meant everything I said in the jungle. Everything. I just…there are complications. It's going to be far from easy."

"When has it ever been?" She said, her eyes narrowing into a glare. "Are you going to run again, or are you actually going to stick around for the hard stuff this time?"

Matt bristled but kept hold of her hand. This time he would stand up to her challenge. "Kate, stop. I'm staying." They stared heatedly at each other. "But what are you going to do about Landon?"

At this Kate paused and looked away. Her fingers tightened around his. "I…I do feel bad, hurting him. He's a good man." Matt's jaw tightened, and even though she wasn't looking at him, she sensed it and looked back. "He is, Matt. You've never met him." She sighed. "But he'll go on and find a wife that will suite his profession, not one that will constantly be off on adventures looking for odd creatures or ancient ruins.

"So…you're not going to marry him?" Matt tried to keep the wild hope out of his voice.

She smiled, a little sadly. "We belong together, Matt. I think it's time we just admit it and fight out whatever comes our way. Together."

Matt took a long, deep breath and nodded. "Yeah." The word was an exhale, and before he had time to draw the next breath, Kate had leaned up and ever so softly pressed her lips to his.

"I love you, Matt Cruse. I'll never leave you."

He had to let go of her hand then, just so he could wrap his arms tightly around her. "I love you, Kate de Vries. I'm never leaving your side again." He felt her smile into his shoulder.

"That's good, because if you did I might have to kill you." He snorted softly in laughter and hugged her tighter.

"I won't be messing with you," he said with a smile. "Too dangerous." She pulled back and grinned up at him, trying to look stern and failing.

"That's right. I'm terribly dangerous." Her smile faded and she bit her lip. "Can we…do you think we can still see the island?"

"I'm not sure. Let's go to the lounge and see."

--

There it was, a dark spot on the horizon behind them. Matt and Kate stood side by side and watched it shrink, smaller and smaller until it was a speck they could barely seen.

"Funny to think," Kate said softly, "that so much happened on that tiny island. In the middle of nowhere."

Matt chuckled silently. "We've never gone about anything normally, have we?"

"What do you mean?" She turned to face him, twining her fingers through his even tighter.

"We met on an airship," he said with raised eyebrows, "we fall in love on an island in the midst of a fight against pirates, after almost being killed of course, and then fall in love again in the midst of _another_ pirate fight. We never go about anything the usual way, do we?"

Kate snorted rather indelicately and grinned up at him. "No, not really. But it wouldn't be half as good if we'd met at some party or something. Plus, we're not exactly normal ourselves."

"Right." Matt suddenly became very serious, looking down at her with furrowed brows. She caught on to his mood and blinked.

"Is everything alright?"

"Marry me."

Kate's mouth fell open. "What?" Matt was looking at her with his earnest dark eyes, and his intensity was starting to reach her. She gave a nervous little laugh and then looked at him like he was endearingly dim-witted. "Aren't you supposed to be kneeling?"

At that, Matt grinned. "Never could do anything the right way. I don't even have a ring yet." Then his smile slipped. "Kate?"

"I…" she started and then came to a shaky halt. "Matt, I haven't even broken off my engagement yet."

"But you're…going to, right?" Sudden worry crept into Matt's voice and his grip in her hands tightened.

"Of course I am. I want to be with you. I'm just…not sure we should jump ahead to matrimony." He saw her swallow nervously. "I want to be with you more than anything, Matt, but I'm not sure I can handle that right now."

Matt swallowed the rejection – because he knew it wasn't truly a rejection, not yet anyway – and nodded. "Alright. But someday?" She smiled and stepped into his arms, wrapping herself close to him and burying her face in the crook between his neck and shoulder. He felt her nod.

"Someday."

--

Paris seemed unusually garish and loud after the endless ocean and the jungle. But Matt smiled and let the sounds wash over him as he stood on the deck. The Aerodrome was, as usually, a hub of excited activity.

He felt an arm wrap around his. Without looking over he knew it was Kate. A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. The weeks in the air had given them some time to sort out their issues.

"You love this, don't you?" She asked quietly, but he could hear the smile in her voice.

"Of course," he replied. "I – "

"Miss de Vries!" An angry yell interrupted their conversation, and both looked down the gang plank. Kate swore. "Miss de – Kate!" The blond man looked absolutely furious, but he wouldn't walk up the gang plank. "Come here!"

"Landon," Kate whispered to Matt as she detached her arm from his and walked toward her very angry fiancé. "Landon, please calm down."

"Calm down?" the man yelled in disbelief. His eyebrows shot up, almost into his sandy hair. Matt tensed, noting that Landon was far more handsome than he had imagined, and more wealthy, judging by the rich brown of his suit. "Not a word, Kate. You left without a word. For a _month_."

"I left word," Kate replied calmly, crossing her arms. "I told you I was tying up ends in Paris. And how did you know when and where we would be landing?"

"Which was a _lie_, I might add!" said Landon indignantly. "I've been watching the flight plans for the past three weeks. And you've been in the South Pacificus for the past month! You could have been hurt – " His eyes swept down her form and for the first time he noticed the bandage on her arm. "You _were_ hurt! My God, Kate. Are you alright? Do you need me to take a look?"

"No, I'm fine Landon." Kate sighed and Matt, standing behind her, saw her shoulders tighten. "Landon, I can't marry you." She said it quickly, blunt and sharp. For a second, none of the three of them moved. Matt felt like he couldn't breathe.

"And why ever not?" Asked Landon, his voice dangerously calm. He still wouldn't walk up the gangplank, and instead was looking edgily at it.

"Because I…just can't." He couldn't see her face, but Matt could hear the confliction in her voice. "I'm so sorry, Landon. I really am. But I can't be the proper wife you want. You'll be much happier with someone else." She walked down the gangplank towards her fiancé and Matt made himself stay put and not run and put himself in between her and the man. Now he couldn't hear what they were saying, but Landon's face was ashen and Kate still had her arms crossed.

After what seemed like forever, Matt saw Landon flinch and step back from Kate. His eyes flickered to where Matt was standing, then back at Kate. A look of extreme dislike came over his face and he turned and walked away.

Kate stayed where she was for a long minute, arms wrapped around herself. Then she turned and walked slowly up the gangplank to Matt, her face drawn. His hands went to her arms.

"Are you alright?" She nodded.

"Yes. That was extremely unpleasant." With a sigh, she leaned forward and rested her forehead on his shoulder. His arms automatically and naturally went around her. "But I'm glad it's over."

Matt chuckled. "Me too." She pulled back a little and looked up at him.

"So what now?"

He stared down at Kate, letting his eyes linger. She had a scrape on her left cheek and her hair was wild around her shoulders and tumbling down her back. Her brown eyes were large and a little apprehensive, but he could see a smile at the very corners of her wide mouth. Matt felt something rise in his throat and he smiled down at her.

"Let's go home."

The worry vanished from her eyes and the smile spread across her face. She grinned up at him, the corners of her eyes crinkling in happiness. "Alright. Let's go."


	12. Epilogue: Last Train Home

**Epilogue**

Last Train Home

"Well, that's that."

Matt pushed the paper across the desk to the stuffy looking official who sat across from him. The man peered at the paper for a long time, so long that Matt heard Kate shift uncomfortably in the chair next to him.

"Everything seems to be in order. Your report will be submitted to the Sky Guard, and if your claim is found to be valid, it will be investigated as quickly as possible."

"_Valid_?" said Kate with great indignation. "It's not as if we don't have experience with pirates!" Matt didn't look at her but he would bet everything he owned that her nostrils were flared in anger. He tried not to smile.

The official peered over his glasses at Kate, eyebrows raised as if astonished that a woman would be speaking like that to him. Matt just watched in amusement. "Very well," the clerk said. "If your business is done, I would have to ask that you leave. I have matters to attend to." Kate looked as though she were about to retaliate and say something back to him, but Matt stood and pulled her with him.

"Looks like that's our subtle cue to go," he said. "Come on, Miss de Vries." Muttering under her breath, Kate stalked out of the room.

"I can't believe the _nerve_ of that man! We're not just random people reporting that there are pirates on a small island in the Pacificus!" Kate was gesticulating angrily as they walked. Matt bit back his amusement. "I mean, how many people go out there in the first place?! And he should know who _you_ are. Honestly, I – "

"Kate, love, calm down." Grinning and barely refraining from laughing, Matt took her hand. "We handed in the paperwork, it's all fine." Kate paused and looked down at their joined hands.

"You're holding my hand. In public." Her eyes were wide when she looked back up, the beginning of a smile hiding in the corners of her mouth. "You could get in a very large amount of trouble for that."

He smiled. "Well, I've decided I don't really care."

--

"MATT!"

Matt jumped at both the slam of the door and at someone yelling his name. "Matt! Come here!!" He all but ran from the room, down the short hall and into the tiny foyer.

"What? What is it?" He had expected to find Kate covered in blood, or robbed, or something horrible. Instead, she was dressed in an impeccable grey suit, an unbelievably wide smile on her face. She threw herself at him when he appeared, hugging him tightly.

"We did it!!" He wrapped his arms around her, still confused.

"Did what? Why are you in my apartment? Aren't you supposed to be at the – oh." Realization hit him. "We did it? They recognized the cloud cats?"

Kate nodded, pulling back and nearly bouncing up and down. "They accepted the photographs – they were blurry but what can you do when you're trying not to be eaten? – as factual evidence, though it still took a lot of convincing. But the cloud cats are going to be recognized as a new mammalian species!" Her hands flew to her face. "My cheeks hurt from smiling."

Matt, who had remained frozen all through her outburst, now laughed. "I can't believe it. You did it, Kate."

"We did it," she replied, her eyes warm and locked with his. He put his hands on either side of her face and pulled her into a kiss. She grinned against his lips. When he pulled away, she grabbed his hand and laced her fingers through his.

"No," he started. "_You_ did it, Kate. You're amazing."

"No," she said, even more firmly. "_We_ did this. Together, remember?" Her head was tilted to the side, her lips curving up in a smile, her brown eyes playful. How could he ever disagree with her?

"Right."

--

"Daddy – "

"Don't you dare 'daddy' me about this, Kate."

"Father, you are being completely unreasonable." Kate was gripping her own hands with white knuckles, her jaw clenched and her eyes fiery. "I'm a grown woman, a scientist, and I can make decisions for myself."

"Then why did you come here to ask my permission to marry this…boy." Matt hovered in the background, unsure whether he was brave enough to speak to Kate's father just yet. But Kate was squaring off with him over a small table in the study, seemingly fearless. Matt felt a bubble of adoration well in him. Did it never cease?

"I came here out of consideration. I don't need your permission to marry."

"Well that's good, because you certainly don't have it." Mr. De Vries shot a look at Matt before moving closer to Kate and speaking in an urgent, hushed tone that Matt assumed he wasn't supposed to hear. Or maybe he was. "He's no one, Kate. You had such a future ahead of you, even with the odd science. Breaking off your engagement to Landon was unbelievably unintelligent, but nothing can't be fixed." He put his hands on her upper arms and smiled. "Darling, let me talk to Mr. Fitzwalter. Everything could be right as rain by the morning if you would just forget this nonsense." Again, his eyes flickered to Matt.

"Sir, I may not have as much money as Landon Fitzwalter," Matt finally stepped forward. "But I have a ship and a business and I love your daughter more than anything. I will do everything in my power to keep her happy and safe."

Mr. De Vries went from fatherly to vicious in a split second. "You _will_ not do anything, because you are not marrying my daughter." Kate suddenly tore free from his grip, which had grown quite a bit tighter on her arms.

"If I walk out of here right now with Matt, what would you do?" Her voice wavered, and Matt heard the questions she wasn't quite willing to ask. _Would you let me leave like that? How much do you actually love your only daughter?_ He swallowed.

Stony silence fell over the large room. Kate's eyes were locked with her fathers', his gaze iron, hers willing him to accept. Finally, her father opened his mouth.

"I suppose you will have to find out."

Kate flinched as if he had struck her, and Matt personally felt like striking the other man at that moment. Anger flared in his chest, white hot, and he was about to say something when Kate whirled around, grabbed his arm, and lead him from the room.

He let her pull him outside of the house, but then stopped her. "Kate, Kate, hold on a second." She stopped, breathing hard and trembling, her eyes wide and glistening. Matt opened and closed his mouth. He couldn't think of a single thing to say to her.

"I can't stay here. We need to leave." She started to walk away, but turned back, and Matt saw a few tears slip involuntarily down her cheek. "May I stay with you? In your apartment?"

He sighed. "Kate, you can't live with me before we're married."

"Then let's get married."

"We will, I promise – "

"No," she interrupted. "I mean right now."

Matt stared at her and then stuck his hands in his pockets. "Kate, are you sure you're not just doing this because you're upset? Earlier you said you wanted to – "

"I was wrong." She grabbed his hands and stared up at him. "I was second guessing myself, but my first instinct was right. I can't be apart from you, Matt. I don't care what anyone else says, I'll do anything for you. To be with you."

--

Warm sunlight streaming into the small room woke Matt, and he blinked sleepily against the glare. Midsummer in Paris was unbelievably hot, and the tiny room was fast turning into a sauna.

Matt was about to stretch when he realized that his arm was pinned underneath something large and very warm. Looking over, he smiled. Kate was curled up next to him, her head pillowed on his arm, hair spilling across the white sheets. Her face was soft in sleep, mouth slightly open.

The early morning took on a very dreamlike quality for Matt. He leaned over and pressed his lips to her bare shoulder, his fingers gently running over her arm. She shifted in her sleep slightly, making a low noise in the back of her throat. Matt smiled and kissed her shoulder again, this time a little harder. Then he moved up her neck and to her cheek, the arm that wasn't pinned under her wrapping around her body and pulling her to him.

She woke then, making a small noise of surprised before smiling. "What are you doing, Matt? It's too early." Her hands went to his chest to push him away but he heard the smile in her voice and just pulled her tighter.

"Nope. Not too early. You're just delusional."

"Oh, delusional? Right. Well, you're done now," she said loftily, trying to roll away from him. He pulled her back again and she yelped and started laughing. "Matt, co – "

He kissed her then, and she went silent. Her body was soft and warm from sleep, her lips slightly chapped against his. He savored it, running his hand down her back. Her own arm went over his waist and she moved closer to him, and they were pressed fully against each other in the bed. Matt's hands roamed down her arm to her left hand. He pulled away despite Kate's noise of protest and kissed the gold band on her finger.

Her voice was fond. "Matt, you're doing it again." He pressed his lips to the metal again.

"Doing what?"

She freed her hand from his and tilted his head so he was looking at her. "Acting surprised that we're married." Quickly, she pressed a kiss to his lips. "We are. If we weren't, I very much doubt that we would be here right now." He snorted lightly and she grinned. The heady kiss she placed on his mouth made Matt's blood run hot, and he rolled so she was under him. She pulled back for an instant, but kept her face close to his, so they were breathing the same air. "But we are married."

"And you're mine," Matt whispered, staring into her warm brown eyes.

"And you're _mine_," Kate shot back, wrapping her arms around him.

He grinned. "Of course."

--

AN: Sorry, everyone, for taking so long! I was at a family reunion and my inspiration simultaneously dried up, so...yeah.

THANK YOU SO MUCH to every single person that wrote a review. I never expected this story to be this huge, or to garner so much attention, and I LOVE YOU ALL!! You made this story worth writing.

Oh, and the title of the epilogue comes from the song 'Last Train Home' by Ryan Star. This song is the inspiration for this entire story, so feel free to check it out! And thanks again, you all are the absolute best.


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